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New Drosera species from the Amazon


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Hello Khelljuhg,

Judging from my pictures, it seems the sepals open when the seeds are mature, allowing them to fall out, and then close again. This is also seen in D.felix & D.kaieteurensis if I remember well...

Glad you all enjoyed it! ;)

Fernando Rivadavia

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Guest Flytraplady5

Hey there Fernando,

sorry that i came to this party,so late.

Gr8 pictures. thanx for doing all the adventuring that some of us can't .

wondering how i get on your grower's list.

Lois

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Hello Khelljuhg,

Judging from my pictures, it seems the sepals open when the seeds are mature, allowing them to fall out, and then close again. This is also seen in D.felix & D.kaieteurensis if I remember well...

Oh, I see. Thanks :)

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  • 1 year later...

Hi Fernando,

Hello Khelljuhg,

Judging from my pictures, it seems the sepals open when the seeds are mature, allowing them to fall out, and then close again. This is also seen in D.felix & D.kaieteurensis if I remember well...

Glad you all enjoyed it! ;)

Fernando Rivadavia

If i understood these sentences right, i do not think this fits to D. felix and D. kaieteurensis. These two species have thos splash-cups as can be seen here:

kaieteurensis_DROS280_005.jpg

Does the sp. "Rio Negro" als have those splash-cups?

Christian

Edited by Christian
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Thanks, Christian. Yes, it seems that D. felix and D. kaieteurensis 'hold' their seeds for a while. I have observed that D. sp. "Gran Sabana" (sampled by a Japanese planthunter some years ago) shows the same behaviour (it looks like a giant D. kaieteurensis).

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  • 1 year later...

Hello everyone,

I have just received the excellent news that this new species has been published! We present to you, Drosera amazonica Rivadavia, A. Fleischm. & Vicent.!!

MWSnap013.jpg

If anybody wants a pdf of the article, please send me a PM with your e-mail address.

Best wishes,

Fernando Rivadavia

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Hey Fernando,

I was faster this time, haha: Drosera amazonica

;) But I did cross-link to this original article in the Drosera subforum.

All the best,

Andreas

PS:

The original article (including the corrected line drawing) can be found as a free pdf for download at:

http://www.botanik.biologie.uni-muenchen.d...09_modified.pdf

The file is a bit large, thus download may tike a while.

All the best,

Andreas

Edited by Andreas Fleischmann
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Thanks Dani! ;)

Hey Andreas, I didn't see your post in the Drosera forum until it was too late, hahaha! Oh well, now we have the name in this original thread as well. ;)

Best wishes,

Fernando

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  • 1 year later...

The WWF has just published a report on Amazonian biodiversity, saying that >1200 new species were found in this region over the past 10 years, and one of the species they highlight is my very own discovery, Drosera amazonica! :)

See below what they wrote and click the link to see original pics:

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http://www.worldwildli...fe.org/what/where...ryitem18397.pdf

The Amazon sundew, a discovery 10 years in the making

Particularly significant, owing to its unusual location and its sheer abundance, was the discovery of the Amazon sundew (Drosera amazonica) officially described by scientists in 200917. This plant species is red and yellow, and grows to just 10cm tall. Because the species is found on white quartz sand savannas, which are seasonally flooded, the soil is highly acidic and extremely poor in nutrients. To supplement the poor mineral nutrition that these species can derive from the soil, they lure, capture and digest insects using glandular tentacles topped with sticky secretions, and exude a sweet perfume.

After 10 years of searching for the elusive plant, in 2006 Dr Fernando Rivadavia found two extensive populations roughly 500m apart in the Parque Estadual do Rio Negro Setor Sul, a protected area relatively safe from deforestation. The two populations were located on opposite sides of a small tributary of the Cuieiras river, which empties into the Rio Negro in Amazonas state. Here, in natural clearings in the rainforest consisting of savannah vegetation and wet-sandy habitats, the new Drosera was encountered growing by the “millions”. Another population of the species was discovered around 450km north of this area in the Viruá National Park, in the central part of Roraima state.

This find is particularly significant as very few Drosera species are found in the lowlands of Brazil. Those that have been recorded occur in sandy coastal habitats. Very few have been discovered inland, as Drosera amazonica was.

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This has had repercussions in the media, including this one from The Guardian (where they even put a quote of mine!):

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http://www.utopia.de/nachrichten-aus-dem-n...pecies-found-in

The Guardian, UK

More than 1,200 new species found in the Amazon in past decade

26. Oktober 2010 12:12

WWF report says a new species was discovered every three days from 1999-2009, from bald parrots to translucent frogs. Brightly coloured tarantulas that propel excrement at enemies one metre away, translucent "glass frogs" with skin so thin you can watch their hearts beat, blind ants that date back 120m years, and tiny predatory flowers that lure insects to their death with a murderous fragrance are among more than 1,200 species that have been discovered in the Amazon over the past 10 years.A new report by WWF highlights the need for greater efforts to conserve the world's greatest treasure trove of biodiversity. The South American rainforest, which covers an area one and a half times bigger than the European Union, is being threatened by loggers, ranchers, palm oil plantations, soy farms and climate change.The report was presented at the United Nations biodiversity meeting in Nagoya, Japan, where delegates focussed today on ways to channel about $4bn to help developing nations save forests. Several delegations reported progress in this and other areas, breathing life into the negotiations that are supposed to end Friday with a new global pact to preserve wildlife and natural habitats.During the last 50 years, at least 17% of the forest – an area twice the size of Spain – has been lost to human activities, damaging globally important ecological services such as carbon storage, climate stabilisation and the protection of countless species, the WWF says.From 1999 to 2009, the report says a new species was discovered every three days. The list includes "Beni" (Eunectes beniensis), the first new anaconda species identified since 1936 which is 4m long and can eat jaguars; a "vermicelli tree" that grows a tangle of yellow noodle-like tendrils; a tiny blind subterranean catfish and a bald parrot whose body is so spectacularly coloured that scientists are astonished it was not discovered before."This report clearly shows the incredible diversity of life in the Amazon," said Francisco Ruiz, who heads WWF's work in the region. "It also serves as a reminder of how much we still have to learn about this unique region, and what we could lose if we don't change the way we think about development."The discoveries clearly thrilled many of the scientists involved in compiling the report. Fernando Rivadavia found the Amazon sundew (Drosera amazonica), which secures nutrition on the arid white quartz savannas by digesting insects that are attracted by its sweet perfume and then trapped on its sticky glandular tentacles."Pleased hardly describes how ecstatic I felt when I finally discovered this plant after 10 years of searching for it," he said. As well as the new forms of piranha, monkey and purple tarantula, countless other newly discovered insects and plants were not listed in the report and many more species are expected to be found in the years ahead.WWF says all of the species are threatened by deforestation and agricultural expansion. The organisation is working with regional government to protect wildlife and their habitat. It says that 17% of the newly protected areas in the world are in the Amazon, which is home to 30 million people including several isolated indigenous groups.Ahmed Djoghlaf, executive secretary of the United Nations Convention for Biological Diversity said he hoped that similar projects could be established to identify and protect species in other big forests. "This Amazon plan of action is a pioneer. We will now see how we can do the same for Congo, Borneo and elsewhere," he said.Brazil claimed today to lead the world in establishing reserves, having increased protected areas to cover 14.9 per cent of the country's land, up from 8 per cent in 2006. Deforestation continues but the rate has slowed to its lowest level in 21 years.However, Braulio Dias, secretary of biology and forests in the Brazilian government, said his country would not sign up in Nagoya to a UN target of halting species loss worldwide by 2020 because it was not feasible.Rather than the Amazon, he said the main challenge was conversion of savanna to agriculture. With this likely to continue, he said a more realistic target was to reduce biodiversity loss to at least 50 per cent and, where feasible, zero.Such a compromise is likely to be opposed by the EU and many conservation groups, which say more ambitious goals are essential to halt the alarming decline of non-human life on earth.

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And a few others -- including even a so-called Kazakhstan Business Forum... Borat anyone? Hahaha!

See more here:

http://www.poten.com/NewsDetails.aspx?id=10732958

http://patrickhenrypress.info/node/304013

Best wishes,

Fernando

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Hi Fernando,

good to know that so many new species have been discovered during the last 10 years and hopefully there will be found much more in future, especially carnivorous plants. :sun_bespectacled:

For sure a lot of species have disappeared in the past before there was a chance to discover and describe them.

It´s also good to hear that the rate of deforestation has slowed to its lowest level in 21 years.

BTW, somehow your first link does not work.

Best regards,

Dani

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