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Species delimitation in the Echinocereus pulchellus complex (Cactaceae)

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Abstract

Species delimitation in Cactaceae is a challenging task due to the proliferation of species and subspecies names. Echinocereus pulchellus occurs across a wide geographical range in Mexico and presents numerous polymorphisms. The species complex has been considered to comprise five subspecies. In the present work, we analyze morphological variation across the E. pulchellus complex to establish the taxonomic limits of the complex, to delimit taxa within it, and to determine whether morphological variation is associated with climate variables. Multivariate analyses of 50 morphological characters were conducting in a sample of ten populations representing all five of the previously recognized subspecies of the E. pulchellus complex. The results support the recognition of four distinct species, one of which contains two subspecies, and necessitate three new combinations: Echinocereus acanthosetus, E. sharpii, and E. weinbergii subsp. venustus. Six vegetative and two floral characters define the morphological limits between taxa. Correlation with climate variables was detected in the populations of E. weinbergii.

Resumen

La delimitación de especies en Cactaceae es una tarea desafiante debido a la proliferación de nombres de especies y subespecies. Echinocereus pulchellus habita en un amplio rango geográfico en México, presentando numerosos polimorfismos. El complejo de especies se ha conformado por cinco subespecies. En el presente trabajo, se analizó la variación morfológica del complejo E. pulchellus, para delimitar los taxones dentro de éste, and determinar si la variación morfológica está asociada con las variables climáticas. Análisis multivariados de 50 caracteres morfológicos fueron realizados en una muestra de diez poblaciones representando las cinco subespecies previamente reconocidas en el complejo E. pulchellus. Los resultados soportan el reconocimiento de cuatro especies distintas, una de las cuales contiene dos subespecies, y la necesidad de tres nuevas combinaciones: Echinocereus acanthosetus, E. sharpii, E. weinbergii subsp. venustus. Seis caracteres vegetativos y dos florales definieron los límites morfológicos entre los taxa. Correlación con las variables climáticas fue detectada en las poblaciones de E. weinbergii.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by funds from UNAM-PAPIIT (IN213217) to PDA. DS thanks to the program CÁTEDRAS CONACYT (project 985). The authors thank the herbaria CIDIIR, GBH, HUAA, IBUG, MEXU, and SLPM for providing access to specimens, Wolfgang Blum (Der Echinocereenfreund) for sharing a digital image of the type of Echinocereus pulchellus subsp. venustus and literature on Echinocereus, Isela Rodríguez and Lilia García (FES-Iztacala, UNAM) for assistance in formal requirements to make fieldwork, Luis A. Salinas-Esquivel for helping with fieldwork, Miguel A. González-Botello for providing localities of Echinocereus sharpii, the commissary of San Francisco Teopan, Oaxaca, for providing access to their field facilities, and Cristian Cervantes for training to DGQ in R software. The authors gratefully acknowledge the helpful comments and suggestions of two anonymous reviewers and the editors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CONACYT-Laboratorio Nacional de Identificación y Caracterización Vegetal, Departamento de Botánica y Zoología, Centro Universitario de Ciencias Biológicas y Agropecuarias, Universidad de Guadalajara, C.P. 45220, Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico

    Daniel Sánchez

  2. Departamento de Botánica y Zoología, Herbario Luz María Villarreal de Puga, Centro Universitario de Ciencias Biológicas y Agropecuarias, Universidad de Guadalajara, C.P. 45220, Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico

    Daniel Sánchez, David Gómez-Quintero, Ofelia Vargas-Ponce & Pablo Carrillo-Reyes

  3. Laboratorio de Recursos Naturales, Unidad de Biología, Tecnología y Prototipos (UBIPRO), Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, C.P 54090, Tlalnepantla, Estado de México, Mexico

    Patricia Dávila-Aranda

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  1. Daniel Sánchez
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Correspondence to Patricia Dávila-Aranda.

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Sánchez, D., Gómez-Quintero, D., Vargas-Ponce, O. et al. Species delimitation in the Echinocereus pulchellus complex (Cactaceae). Brittonia 72, 433–452 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12228-020-09632-x

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