Romero et al. 2020 (Article) Bakerantha

Phylogenetic relationships within the Mexican genus Bakerantha (Hechtioideae, Bromeliaceae) based on plastid and nuclear DNA: Implications for taxonomy

Author(s):—K.J. Romero S., I.M. Ramírez M., E. Ruiz S., C.T. Hornung L., G. Carnevali & a.N. Raigoza

Publication:—Journal of Systematics and Evolution Volume 00 | Issue 00 | 1–18. (2020) — DOI

Abstract:—Bakerantha is one of three genera of subfamily Hechtioideae (Bromeliaceae). This genus was reestablished recently, and currently contains four species (B. caerulea, B. lundelliorum, B. purpusii, and B. tillandsioides), which are distributed throughout the central region of Mexico. Bakerantha tillandsioides has the widest geographical distribution of the four species, and some populations currently referred to it do not match the species description. In this study, we used an extensive sampling (81 accessions) of four plastid regions (matK, rpl32‐trnL, rps16‐trnK, and ycf1) and the nuclear PRK gene to reconstruct the phylogenetic relationships and delimit the species boundaries in Bakerantha. Our results confirm the monophyly of Bakerantha, and the species delimitation analysis supports five evolutionary lineages within Bakerantha, showing that B. tillandsioides is non‐monophyletic as currently circumscribed. Diagnostic characters and coherent geographical distributions support the five lineages. Based on our results, we describe and illustrate B. hidalguense as a new species and provide evidence that B. caerulea is morphologically and ecologically different from B. tillandsioides with which it has been confused in the past. Additionally, we provide a morphological key to the Bakerantha species.

Published names (1):

Bakerantha hidalguense*
* synonyms or not accepted names are marked