Telipogon diabolicus Kolan., Szlach. & Medina Tr., 2016

Kolanowska, Marta, Szlachetko, Dariusz L. & Trejo, Ramiro Medina, 2016, Telipogon diabolicus (Orchidaceae, Oncidiinae), a new species from southern Colombia, PhytoKeys 65, pp. 113-124 : 114-118

Telipogon diabolicus Kolan., Szlach. & Medina Tr. sp. nov. Figs 1 , 2

Diagnosis.

Species similar to Telipogon tabanensis and Telipogon guacamayensis , distinguished by the translucent, relatively small flowers with sepals reaching 9-10 mm in length, transversely elliptic lip and prominently clawed petals.

Type.

COLOMBIA. Putumayo / Nariño: Paramo de Bordoncillo , 3180 m, 7 Nov 2015, R. Medina et al. S15/13 (Holotype JAUM!; Isotype JAUM!; UGDA-DLSz! - drawing) .

Description.

Stem 5.5-9 cm tall, stem abbreviated. Leaves 2-4.5 × 0.4-1.3 cm, conduplicate, relatively fleshy, ovate-lanceolate to oblanceolate, attenuate towards the base, subacute. Inflorescence 6-9 cm long, 2-3-flowered, peduncle triquetrous. Flowers simultaneous, tepals translucent with reddish veins, gynostemium and lip callus dark violet-maroon. Floral bracts 7-9 mm long, cucullate, ovate, acute. Pedicel and ovary 15-20 mm long, triquetros. Sepals similar, keeled on the back side. Dorsal sepal 9-9.5 × 4-4.5 mm, concave, ovate-elliptic, acute, 3-veined. Lateral sepals 9-10 × 3-4 mm, concave, ovate-elliptic, acute, somewhat oblique, 3-veined. Petals 10-12 × 9-9.3 mm, rhombic in outline, broadly elliptic ovate to transversely elliptic above prominent claw, acuminate, 9-veined, claw basally thickened and densely ciliolate with papillate margins. Lip 9-9.3 mm long, 10-11 mm wide, transversely elliptic, acute at the apex, 15-veined, margins glandular-ciliate, basal margins with short spines; callus 3-4 mm × 2.5-3 mm, ovate-cordate, densely ciliate with several setae spread all over its surface. Gynostemium about 3 mm tall, clinandrium 3-lobed, lateral bundles of setose hairs elongate up to 3 mm long, the dorsal bundle covering the anther much shorter, area around the stigma papillate, with several setae. Capsule 15-20 mm long.

Etymology.

The specific name refers to the distinctive gynostemium which resembles devil’s head.

Distribution and ecology.

So far this species is known exclusively from southern Colombia, on the border between departments Putumayo and Nariño. It was found growing epiphytically in wet, dwarf montane forest at the edge of páramo. The population which was observed during the field study consists of about 30 specimens of which only several were adult, flowering plants.

Conservation status.

IUCN Red List category: Critically Endangered, [CR B2ab(iii)]. This species is only known from the type specimens, which represent one location in highly vulnerable habitat near the main road Pasto-Mocoa. It is expected that the current reconstruction of this road will have negative impact on the habitat of Telipogon diabolicus .

Discussion.

The new species can be misidentified with its Colombian congener Telipogon tabanensis Dodson & R. Escobar (1993) and Ecuadorian Telipogon guacamayensis Dodson & R. Escobar (in Dodson 1989a), but both those orchids are characterized by yellow flowers with dark (wine-red to maroon) gynostemium and callus (vs flowers translucent in Telipogon diabolicus ). Flowers of both Telipogon tabanensis and Telipogon diabolicus are resupinate (non-resupinate in Telipogon guacamayensis ), but those of Telipogon tabanensis are much larger - sepals are about 17 mm long (vs 9-10 mm in Telipogon diabolicus ), petals reach 20 mm in length (vs 12 mm). Petals of the former are densely spinose-hirsute at the base while in the new species and in Telipogon guacamayensis (Fig. 3 ) they are glabrous. In both Telipogon tabanensis (Fig. 4 ) and Telipogon guacamayensis the lip is 17-veined (vs 15-veined in Telipogon diabolicus ) and it is subtrullate ( Telipogon guacamayensis ) or elliptic ( Telipogon tabanensis ). All three species are characterized by presence of prominent, more or less cordate basal lip callus which is about 6 mm long in Telipogon tabanensis and Telipogon guacamayensis (up to 4 mm in Telipogon diabolicus ). Only in Telipogon diabolicus the basal lip margin is covered with short spines. The additional difference between Telipogon tabanensis and the new species is found in the gynostemium ornamentation. In the former orchid it is covered with equally long setose hairs while in Telipogon diabolicus (and Telipogon guacamayensis ) the lateral bundles of hairs are elongated, longer than the dorsal bundle covering the anther.

The most distinguishing character of the new species are prominently clawed petals. At the best of our knowledge, this character is not found in any other Colombian species of the genus. Interestingly, at least 3 species from Peru share this feature, i.e. Telipogon intis Braas (Fig. 5 ), Telipogon lueri Dodson & Bennett (Fig. 6 ) and Telipogon mendiolae Dodson & Bennett (Fig. 7 ). In the first of the Peruvian species aforementioned the obtuse lip has 17 nerves, petals are acute and gynostemium is sparsely setose on clinandrium. Telipogon mendiolae can be characterized by transversely elliptic, obtuse lip with 17 nerves, and transversely elliptic, shortly apiculate petals. Flowers of this species are about twice larger than those of Telipogon diabolicus . Telipogon lueri differs from our new species by having twice larger flowers, densely setose gynostemium and petals with 11 nerves.

Telipogon diabolicus somewhat resembles also Ecuadorian Telipogon ecuadorensis Schltr. (Fig. 9 ) and Telipogon bruchmuelleri Rchb.f. (Fig. 8 ) known from Ecuador and Venezuela. In all aforementioned species the lip is similar in form, i.e. more or less transversely elliptic with ovate-cordate basal callus. Unlike in Telipogon diabolicus the gynostemium of Telipogon bruchmuelleri and Telipogon ecuadorensis is densely covered by setose hairs (vs setose hairs found only on clinandrium), and petals are sessile (vs clawed).

Figures

Figure 1. Telipogon diabolicus Kolan., Szlach. & Medina Tr. A Dorsal sepal B Petal C Lateral sepal D Lip E Gynostemium F Setae of the gynostemium. Drawn by N. Oledrzynska from the holotype. Scale bars: A-D = 5 mm, E = 2 mm.

Figure 2. Telipogon diabolicus Kolan., Szlach. & Medina Tr. A-B Plant habit C Flower closeup. Photos by M. Kolanowska.

Figure 3. Telipogon guacamayensis Dodson & R. Escobar. A Dorsal sepal B Petal C: Lateral sepal D Lip E Lip, side view. Redrawn by N. Oledrzynska from original illustration presented by Dodson and Escobar (in Dodson 1989 a). Scale bars: 5 mm.

Figure 4. Telipogon tabanensis Dodson & R. Escobar A Habit B Flower C Dorsal sepal D Petal E Lateral sepal F Lip G Gynostemium and lip callus, side view. Redrawn by M. Staron from original illustration presented by Dodson and Escobar (1993). Scale bars: A-F = 10 mm, G = 5 mm.

Figure 5. Telipogon intis Braas A Sepals B Petal C Lip D Gynostemium. Redrawn by N. Oledrzynska from Dodson and Bennett (in Dodson 1989). Scale bars: 10 mm.

Figure 6. Telipogon lueri Dodson & Bennett A Sepals B Petal C Lip D Gynostemium. Redrawn by N. Oledrzynska from original illustration presented by Dodson and Bennett (in Dodson 1989 b). Scale bars: 20 mm.

Figure 7. Telipogon mendiolae Dodson & Bennet. t A Dorsal sepal B Petal C Lateral sepal D Lip E Gynostemium. Redrawn by N. Oledrzynska from original illustration presented by Dodson and Bennett (in Dodson 1989 b). Scale bars: A-D = 10 mm, E = 3 mm.

Figure 8. Telipogon ecuadorensis Schltr. A Dorsal sepal B Petal C Lateral sepal D Lip E Gynostemium. Redrawn by N. Oledrzynska from Schlechter (1929).

Figure 9. Telipogon bruchmuelleri Rchb. f A Flower B Gynostemium and lip callus. Redrawn by N. Oledrzynska from Dodson and Dodson (in Dodson 1984). Scale bars: 5 mm.