Alpha-taxonomy underestimates the diversity in Jacquemontia (Convolvulaceae): a new hypothesis for Jacquemontia evolvuloides complex based on morphological, anatomical, and morphometric analyses

Abstract

Interpreting plant morphological variability makes species delimitation a challenge. Jacquemontia evolvuloides and its relatives have been the target of different taxonomic classifications, either as multiple species and subspecies/varieties or as a single polymorphic species. Here we applied univariate and multivariate morphometric analyses, using both macro- and micromorphological characters of 22 populations comprising this species complex. Our analysis revealed six morphotypes with clear discontinuities in both macro- and micromorphological characters. One morphotype corresponds to J. evolvuloides, two correspond to previously named species, putted under a synonym, here re-established (J. agrestis and J. decumbens) and three morphotypes correspond to new species, described here. We present a complete taxonomic treatment of J. evolvuloides and related species, with descriptions, distribution maps, photographs, and illustrations, that indicate new synonyms.

Keywords:

• Brazilian flora
• multivariate analyses
• neotropics
• new species
• nomenclature
• species boundaries
• species complex

Acknowledgments

The first author thanks the funding agency Fundação de Amparo à Ciência e Tecnologia do Estado de Pernambuco – FACEPE (Brazil) (Proc. IBPG-0327-2.03/21) for the master’s scholarship. This study was financed in part by Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior – CAPES (Brazil) – Finance Code 001, for funding the Graduate Programs involved in this research. Maria Teresa Buril thanks to the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico - CNPq (Proc. 311430/2022-8). To Dr. Eder Barbier (UNESP/Jaboticabal) for the partnership in the botanical expedition, for constructing the maps and figures, and for helping with the statistical analyses. We also thank the Laboratório Avançado de Microscopia e Imagem, at Museu de Zoologia, Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (LAMI-UFPE) (Brazil), Fundação de Amparo à Ciência e Tecnologia de Pernambuco – FACEPE (Brazil) (Proc. APQ-0522/2.04/19), and Dr. Hianna Fagundes for providing the Scanning Electron Microscopy images. We are grateful to the members of the Laboratório de Ciência Aplicada à Conservação da Biodiversidade (UFPE) for their logistical support during fieldwork. We thank the curators of the visited herbaria. We also thank anonymous reviewers for useful comments and corrections that enhanced the quality of the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The authors confirm that the data supporting the findings of this study are available within the article and its supplementary materials. The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, DPB, upon reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Fundação de Amparo à Ciência e Tecnologia do Estado de Pernambuco – FACEPE under Grant [IBPG-0327-2.03/21].