Open AccessA new species of Armeria (Plumbaginaceae) from southern Spain with molecular and morphometric evidence on its origin
Author(s) -
FELINER GONZALO NIETO,
AGUILAR JAVIER FUERTES,
ROSSELLÓ JOSEP ANTONI
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
botanical journal of the linnean society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.872
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1095-8339
pISSN - 0024-4074
DOI - 10.1111/j.1095-8339.2001.tb02371.x
Subject(s) - biology , sympatric speciation , introgression , taxon , genus , evolutionary biology , molecular phylogenetics , botany , zoology , phylogenetics , biochemistry , gene
The taxonomic status of the populations of Armeria from the Horconera massif (Cordoba province), previously misidentified or referred to without an explicit identification, is re‐examined on the basis of morphological and molecular data. A multivariate analysis indicates that they can be discriminated from morphologically and geographically close taxa using morphometric characters. According to these results, and taking into account the previous evidence that supports extensive reticulation in the genus, a new species, A. trianoi , is formally described. Molecular evidence from our previous works, in particular the nuclear ribosomal ITS sequence data, provides the frame for a discussion on the origin of the new entity. It is suggested that A. trianoi may be the result of introgression of sympatric populations of A. villosa subsp. longiaristata into a pre‐existing taxon, possibly A. filicaulis var. minor presently occurring in Sierra Tejeda some 50 km apart.