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The status of the Endangered micro-endemic shrub Abatia microphylla in its type locality, Pedra do Imperador, Brazil

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 November 2024

Álvaro Nepomuceno Open the ORCID record for Álvaro Nepomuceno [Opens in a new window] ,
Valquíria Ferreira Dutra Open the ORCID record for Valquíria Ferreira Dutra [Opens in a new window]  and
Anderson Alves-Araújo
Álvaro Nepomuceno*
Affiliation:
Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana, Feira de Santana, Brazil Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitória, Brazil
Valquíria Ferreira Dutra
Affiliation:
Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitória, Brazil
Anderson Alves-Araújo
Affiliation:
Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Brazil
*
alvaronepomuceno567@gmail.com
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Abstract

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Information

Type
Conservation News
Information
Oryx , Volume 58 , Issue 5 , September 2024 , pp. 563
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence CC BY 4.0.
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Fauna & Flora International

The shrub Abatia microphylla Taub. (family Salicaceae) is known only from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest in Rio de Janeiro state. Abatia is characterized by opposite leaves, a rare trait in the family shared only with the phylogenetically unrelated Pseudoscolopia, a monospecific African genus.

Online databases indicate that Abatia microphylla occurs in its type locality, Campo de Altitude in the Pedra do Imperador region, which is named after Emperor Dom Pedro II (the location is also known as Pedra do Cônego), and in Serra dos Órgãos National Park. However, after revision of the specimens from Serra dos Órgãos National Park we found they were previously misidentified and are actually Abatia americana. Thus Abatia microphylla is so far known only from Campo de Altitude, at c. 1,400 m elevation. This is also the type locality for other plant species endemic to the Atlantic Forest, such as Wunderlichia insignis Baill. Pedra do Imperador is an unprotected area close to urban areas. In two visits, in May 2023 and May 2024, we located only eight and six individuals, respectively, three of the former with flowers, and the latter all sterile. Voucher specimens are deposited in the herbarium of the Federal University of Espírito Santo, Vitória (herbarium code VIES).

The flora of Pedra do Imperador is threatened by anthropogenic impacts, including invasive species (Pteridium arachnoideum (Kaulf.) Maxon), horse farms, livestock, installation of communication towers and irrigation ducts, plastic waste and non-natural fires. We found A. microphylla only at the edge of the main trail through Pedra do Imperador. In 2017, when the species was also believed to occur in Serra dos Órgãos National Park, it was categorized as Endangered on the Red List of Brazilian Flora. We plan to revisit Campo de Altitude in May 2025, to search for additional individuals and to reassess the species' conservation status. We hope to raise awareness among Brazilian politicians of the need to promote biodiversity conservation in high elevation areas, where plants are adapted to rocky soils, strong winds and low temperatures.

Abatia microphylla, habit and inflorescence detail. Photos: Álvaro Nepomuceno and Lucas Silva.