Re‐evaluation of the generic status of A thenaea and A ureliana ( W ithaniinae, S olanaceae) based on molecular phylogeny and morphology of the calyx

Subtribe W ithaniinae ( S olanaceae) comprises seven genera and c . 40 species, with an almost cosmopolitan distribution. A thenaea and A ureliana are exclusively S outh A merican, with diversity centres in the B razilian A tlantic R ainforest. The generic status of A thenaea and A ureliana was investigated using molecular phylogenetic analysis of five plastid regions ( ndh F gene, trn L intron and trn L ‐trn F , psa I ‐acc D and trn C ‐ycf6 intergenic spacers), nuclear internal transcribed spacers ( ITS ) and morphometric analysis of the calyx. Divergence time estimates were also performed. Withaniinae was recovered as monophyletic. The diversification time estimated for W ithaniinae was 6.3 Myr, and the estimated diversification time for the A thenaea and A ureliana clades was 2.3 Myr. A thenaea and A ureliana species formed a strongly supported clade. However, the genera were not monophyletic, and support for internal relationships was moderate to weak. The morphometric analysis of the increasing size of the fruit calyx that included all species of the genera showed a cline that did not allow us to conclude that the species could be separated into two genera. Because the accrescent calyx is the only morphological character that distinguishes them, we recognize A thenaea as a synonym of Aureliana and propose five new combinations . The list of accepted species is presented. © 2015 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2015, 00 , 000–000.