Scientia hondurensis 3(1), año 2020 Brown et al.

Reporting a new locality for Voyria aphylla () on Isla de Utila, Honduras Tom W. Brown1, Cristina Arrivillaga1, Sven Batke2

1 Kanahau Utila Research and Conservation Facility (KURCF), Isla de Utila, Honduras. 2 Edge Hill University, Biology Department, Ormskirk, Lancashire, L39 4QP, UK. Corresponding author: [email protected]

Recibido: 6 de diciembre del 2019 Bay Islands (Utila, Roatan, and Aceptado: 8 de mayo del 2020 Guanaja) and adjacent to the Cayos Publicado: 30 de junio del 2020 Cita: Brown, T.M., C. Arrivillaga y S. Batke. Cochinos archipelago, situated off the 2020. Reporting a new locality for Voyria coast of Honduras. Of these aphylla (Gentianaceae) on Isla de Utila, major islands, Utila is positioned Honduras. Scientia hondurensis 3(1): 17-20 closest to the mainland, located approximately 32 km NNW from the RESUMEN: La diversidad botánica y city of La Ceiba in the Honduran floral de las Islas de la Bahía, Department of Atlántida. Most of its Honduras, ha recibido poca atención surface is covered by swamp , científica. Aquí se informa una mangroves and neotropical savanna localidad adicional para la especie (Fickert and Gruninger, 2010; Fawcett micoheterotrófica Voyria aphylla et al. 2016). Swamp forests and (Jacq.) Pers. (Gentianaceae), desde el mangroves are characteristic zonal interior del bosque de pantanos ecosystems of the (sub) tropics. While mixtos y el hábitat de la sabana mangroves occupy brackish and salty neotropical en la Isla de Utila. environments such as shorelines, lagoons and estuaries, further in-land, PALABRAS CLAVE: Bosque de many different types of moist forests Pantano, Distribución, Flora, occur in freshwater environments (for Honduras, Islas de la Bahía, Saprófito, Central American wetlands see Ellison, Sabana Neotropical. 2004). Neotropical savannas exhibit unique patterns of floral and faunal ABSTRACT: The botanical and floral diversity that are poorly understood, diversity of Islas de la Bahía, and botanically, such habitats on Isla Honduras; has received little scientific de Utila have not received much attention. Here we report an scientific attention. On Utila, these additional locality for the wetland habitats provide important mycoheterotrophic species Voyria ecosystem services and furthermore aphylla (Jacq.) Pers. (Gentianaceae), support much of the island’s from within mixed swamp and biodiversity, including populations of neotropical savannah habitat on Isla endemic reptiles (Pasachnik et al. de Utila. 2012; Brown et al. 2017; D. Maryon. KEY WORDS: Distribution, pers.comm.). Saprophytic, Swamp Forest, Neotropical Savannah, Flora, Islas de METHODS: The following floral la Bahía, Honduras records were opportunistically documented while performing INTRODUCTION: Utila is the smallest standardized research and visual and western most of the three major encounter surveys for reptiles in

www.scientiahondurensis.wordpress.com 17 Scientia hondurensis 3(1), año 2020 Brown et al. swamp forest and neotropical wrightii (Tique Palms) close to Turtle Harbour savannah habitats; Research Permit Wildlife Refuge (Photo credit: Tom Brown). (Resolución DE-MP-054-2017 Notably, occurring sympatrically within Dictamen técnico ICF-DVS-169-2017; 30 cm of V. aphylla, we also recorded Dictamen técnico DAP-068-2017); for numerous Apteria aphylla (Nutt.) the project “Conservación de los Barnhart ex Small (Burmanniaceae) reptiles y anfibios de Utila, Honduras” (Figure 2), also a mycoheterotroph; issued in part to TWB of Kanahau previously reported from Isla de Utila (KURCF) by the Instituto Nacional de and importantly also only observed Conservación y Desarrollo Forestal, within such Acoelorrhaphe clones Áreas Protegidas y Vida Silvestre (ICF), (Fawcett et al. 2016). Tegucigalpa, Honduras. During such biological surveys, we seek to opportunistically record all biodiversity present to better understand these ecosystems and their composition. When new flora was encountered, GPS coordinates and photographic vouchers were taken to provide evidence of species occurrence at each location. Figura 2. On Isla de Utila, the Mycoheterotroph Apteria aphylla, is only recorded occurring within RESULTS: Here we present the first Acoelorraphe wrightii leaf-litter (Photo credit: Tom records of Voyria aphylla (Jacq.) Pers. Brown) (Gentianaceae), a mycoheterotrophic species on Isla de Utila, Isla de la The habitat adjacent to either side of Bahía, Honduras. On 15 March 2018, the locality was Swamp forest five separate clusters of V. aphylla consisting of mature Rhizophora were located within a patch of mature mangle, transitioning to neotropical Acoelorrhaphe wrightii (Tique Palms), savanna habitat composed nearby to the Turtle Harbour Wildlife predominantly of Cladium jamaicense, Refuge; the only protected terrestrial Blechnum serrulatum, and zone of habitats on Utila. The V. Acrostichum danaefolium. To the best aphylla were encountered growing of our knowledge, V. aphylla has not from the rotting bases of decaying A. previously been reported from Islas de wrightii palms and the surrounding la Bahía or formerly sympatrically leaf-litter, in low light closed canopy alongside A. aphylla within conditions (Figure 1). Acoelorrhaphe clones.

New Records: Honduras; Isla de la Bahía; Isla de Utila (16 06.091̊ ’N, 086 55.068̊ ’W; 9m elev. (DDM). Tom W. Brown: 15 March 2018 (>10 individual specimens observed). Photographic vouchers taken and presented herein.

Identification: The genus Voyria Aubl. (Ghost-) contains 19 species Figura 1 The saprophytic Voyria aphylla growing distributed mostly in the rain forests from the rotting bases of decaying Acoelorrhaphe

www.scientiahondurensis.wordpress.com 18 Scientia hondurensis 3(1), año 2020 Brown et al. of Central and , with projections which helps the seed to one species in western tropical Africa effectively disperse in wind. It is thus (Maas and Ruyters, 1986). In not surprising to find that V. aphylla is Honduras, V. alba (Standl.) widely distributed in tropical America L.O.Williams, V. aphylla (Jacq.) Pers., V. (Figure 3), or indeed that its seeds are parasitica (Schltdl. et Cham.) Ruyters & capable of dispersing to islands such Maas, V. tenella Hook. and V. truncata as Utila. Voyria aphylla is the only Standl. are currently registered species in that genus to occur at (Nelson, 2008; Wilbur, 2015; Vegal et elevations of up to 1800 m (Maas and al. 2017). The Voyria genus is defined Ruyters, 1986). by its mycoheterotrophic and achlorophyllous nature, lacking for , but instead obtaining its energy by parasitizing mycorrhizal fungi on actively decomposing organic matter (Imhoff, 1999). Each species in this genus is identifiable by their reduced opposing scale like leaves and Figura 3. Distribution of Voyria aphylla (Jacq.) Pers. in distinguished further by differences in South and Mesoamerica (A) and the new locality of formation of the flower and petal V. aphylla on Utila Island, Honduras (B). arrangement (e.g. Albert and Struwe, 1997). Notably, Voyria are often Until 1986 V. aphylla was mostly confused with other recorded from South America, with mycoheterotrophs of the fewer collections from Mesoamerica Burmanniaceae family (e.g. A. aphylla), (Maas and Ruyters 1986). Numerous but they are differentiated by Gentianacea and Voyria species alternating leaves and 3 or 6 merous (including V. aphylla) were recently flowers and inferior ovary (Maas and reported from Honduras (Vegal et al. Ruyters, 1986; Vega et al. 2017). 2017); though in this part of their Identification of Voyria to species level range they remain little studied. The was achieved by comparison of other additional locality we report expands potentially occurring species, the known distribution of V. aphylla in subsequently found to be V. aphylla Honduras, seeking to highlight the floral diversity of Isla de Utila and the (Jacq.) Pers. This species is need for comprehensive botanical characterized by having yellow, research. orange or white horizontally branching stems 15 – 30 cm tall, ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: We would like which form simple solitary trumpet- to thank Kanahau Utila Research & shaped flowers with 5-merous. Conservation Facility for the platform

from which to document the rich floral DISCUSSION: The seeds of the genus and faunal diversity of Isla de Utila, Voyria are amongst the smallest seeds and our colleague Daisy F. Maryon for known in the world. For example, facilitating the kayaking/hiking trip filiform ‘dust’ seeds of Voyria aphylla towards Turtle Harbor Pond that are approximately 0.5-2 mm long and enabled us to opportunistically 0.003-0.1 mm in diameter (Maas and document this new flora. We also show Ruyters, 1986). These seeds are great thanks to the Biology provided with a rough, light-weight Department of Edge Hill University for testa of air-filled cells with reticulate their support. thickening and with two long

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Pasachnik, S. A., C. E. Montgomery, A. AUTHORS’ CONTRIBUTIONS: All Martínez, N. Belal, S. Clayson and authors contributed equally to the Faulkner, S. 2012. Body size, writing and publication of this demography, and body condition in manuscript. Tom W. Brown conducted Utila Spiny Tailed Iguanas, field work and made the initial Ctenosaura bakeri. Herpetological observations. Cristina Arrivillaga Conservation and Biology 7(3): assisted in the formatting/writing of 391-398. this manuscript. Sven Batke identified Vega, H., Hernández, D. J., Cetzal, W., the species and provided additional Romero-Soler, K., Solis, M., and Mó, literature, information and reviews. E. 2017. Nuevos registros de Gentianaceae y Lentibulariaceae para BIBLIOGRAPHY Honduras. Rodriguésia 68(2): 771- Albert, V. A. and Struwe, L. 1997. 778. Phylogeny and classification of Voyria (saprophytic Gentianaceae). Brittonia 49: 466- 479. Brown, T. W. D. Maryon and Lonsdale, G. 2017. Habitat diversification and natural history observations in Norops utilensis (Squamata; Dactyloidae) on Isla de Utila, Honduras. Mesoamerican Herpetology 4(3): 974-979. Ellison, A.M. 2004. Wetlands of . Wetlands Ecology and Management 12: 3–55. Fawcett, S, T. Phillips, M. Strand, and Rebertus, A. 2016. Flora and ecology of a neotropical savanna, Utila, Bay Islands, Honduras. Folia Geobot. DOI 10.1007/s12224- 016-9245-0 Fickert, T. and Gruninger, F. 2010. Floristic zonation, vegetation structure, and diversity patterns within a Caribbean mangrove and swamp forest on the Bay Island of Utila (Honduras). Ecotropica 16: 73–92. Imhoff, S. 1999. Root morphology, anatomy and mycotrophy of the achlorophyllous Voyria aphylla (Jacq.) Pers. (Gentianaceae). Mycorrhiza 9: 33-39. Maas, P. J. M. and Ruyters, P. 1986. Voyria and Voyriella (Saprophytic Gentianaceae) [Monograph 41]. Flora Neotropica 40/42:1-93.

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