ARPHA Preprints, doi: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e73387

Nicotiana rupicola sp. nov and Nicotiana knightiana (Paniculatae, Solanaceae), a new endemic and a new record for the flora of Chile

Ludovica Santilli, Maria Fernanda Pérez^‡, Claire de Schrevel^§, Philippe Dandois^§, Hector Mondaca^|, Nicolás Lavandero^¶

‡ Pontificia Universidad Catolica, Santiago, Chile§ Independent, Copiapó, Chile| Independent, Santiago, Chile¶ Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile

Corresponding author: Ludovica Santilli ( santilli.ludovica@gmail.com )

This is an open access preprint distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Citation: Santilli L, Pérez MF, de Schrevel C, Dandois P, Mondaca H, Lavandero N (2021) Nicotiana rupicola sp. nov and Nicotiana knightiana (Paniculatae, Solanaceae), a new endemic and a new record for the flora of Chile. ARPHA Preprints. https://doi.org/10.3897/arphapreprints.e73387

Abstract

Nicotiana knightiana is recorded for the first time for the flora of Chile. A new species of Nicotiana, endemic to the coast of the Coquimbo region is described and illustrated. Molecular analysis placed the new species within the section Paniculatae, as sister to Nicotiana cordifolia, endemic to Juan Fernandez islands. The new species can be considered critically endangered (CR) according to the IUCN categories for its restricted and fragmented distribution, small population number, and the threat that urbanization and mining activities represent for the conservation of the biodiversity of the area.

Keywords

Coquimbo, endemism, exotic species, Nicotianoidae, systematics, taxonomy.