Arachnites fuciflora var. panormitana Tod., Orchid. Sicul.

Pasta, Salvatore, Troia, Angelo, Rosa, Alfonso La & Scafidi, Filippo, 2025, Typification of the names of three Sicilian endemic Orchidaceae published by Agostino Todaro, Phytotaxa 693 (2), pp. 157-165 : 160

2. Arachnites fuciflora var. panormitana Tod., Orchid. Sicul. : 75(–76, pl. 1 figs. 1–2). 1842

≡ Ophrys aranifera var. panormitana (Tod.) Nyman, Consp. Fl. Eur., Suppl. 2: 293. 1890 ≡ Ophrys sphegodes subsp. panormitana (Tod.) E.Nelson, Gestaltw. Artb. Orchid. Eur. Mittelmeerl. : 194. 1962 ≡ Ophrys spruneri subsp. panormitana (Tod.) Soó in Acta Bot. Acad. Sci. Hung. 16: 383. 1971 ≡ Ophrys panormitana (Tod.) Soó, Acta Bot. Acad. Sci. Hung. 18: 384. 1973 ≡ Ophrys sphegodes subsp. panormitana (Tod.) Kreutz, Kompend. Eur. Orchid. : 116. 2004. ≡ Ophrys exaltata subsp. panormitana (Tod.) H.Baumann & R.Lorenz, J. Eur. Orch. 37(3): 720. 2005 ≡ Ophrys aranifera subsp. panormitana (Tod.) Véla & R.Martin, Étude Cartogr. Prélim. Orchid. Sicile: 91. 2015.

Diagnosis (from the protologue):—Labello obovato, subelongato, trilobo, lobis lateralibus dependentibus, basi gibbere conico instructis.

Ind. Loc.: — [SICILY] “Habitat in collibus calcareis. Palermo, Castelbuono, Caltanissetta (Heldreich), Catania (Biv.)”.

Neotype (here designated): — [SICILY] “ Arachnites fuciflora y. panormitana , in Monte Gallo in aridissimis calcareis [manu A. Todaro], M[isit] Todaro, 1843 [manu Richard]”. (MNHN-P-P 02101497! image available at https:// mediaphoto.mnhn.fr/media/1441305133744vPlk92FABrKuPw6L).

In PAL we found a specimen (PAL94969) (https://herbarium.unipa.it/zoomify/view_img.asp?ic=94969) bearing two mature individuals collected at Mt. Gallo, located within the municipality of Palermo. This specimen includes two different labels without date. The first reports the following information: “ Arachnites fuciflora y. panormitana Tod. Orchid. Sic. p. 75, Martio collibus calcareis—M. Gallo [manu A. Todaro]”. On the second label, bearing the heading R.[egio] Orto Botanico di Palermo [= Royal Botanic Garden of Palermo], M. Lojacono-Pojero wrote: “[...] rassomigli [...] cum Bertoloni [...] in macula speculiforme!, [cf. Ophrys ] aranif.[era] var. specularia Reichb. Ic. p. 89, tab. 112. pg. 3, 4, 6, 7”. This specimen is not original material since there is no evidence regarding the date of collection, and the collection site is not explicitly cited in the protologue. In addition, the plants are not in good conditions.

The specimen we selected as neotype, once belonging to the herbarium of Louise Claude and Achille Richard, was traced at P (P 02101497). It was collected by Todaro in Monte Gallo (near Palermo), and it includes one mature individual and part of an inflorescence, which match the protologue and correspond to the current application of the name (e.g. Delforge 2016, Grünanger 2017, Kreutz 2024) by showing key diagnostic traits such as a wide, three-lobed and hairy labellum. According to the Art. 9.3 of ICN, this specimen is not eligible for a lectotypification; in fact, the date (1843) indicated in the label is subsequent to the publication of the name ( Todaro 1842) even if it could be original material, and the date could refer to the receipt of the specimen sent by Todaro.

The same can be said about another specimen kept at FI: “ Arachnites fuciflora y. panormitana Tod. / an Arachnites fuciflora q. ambigua Tod. , Ophrys incubacea Bianca in Tod. Orch. Sic. p. 75, Ophrys atrata Guss. non Lindl.?? / in herbosis—Monte Gallo, Todaro” [manu A. Todaro] and “da Todaro in Dic. 1876 ” [manu Parlatore?] (FI002696!).

Note:—The epithet of the subspecies refers to Panormus, the ancient Latin name of the city of Palermo. O. exaltata subsp. panormitana ( Fig. 2 ) looks very similar to O. exaltata subsp. exaltata , from which it differs by its clearly three-lobed labellum, almost total lack of apiculum and the early flowering period. It is a robust plant, able to grow up to 15–40 cm; the flowers are medium-sized; the colour of sepals and petals is rather variable, from whitish to pinkish or greenish. It blooms very early, i.e. between January and March. Endemic to Sicily, it occurs mainly in the north-west and south-east areas of the island, and it grows in grasslands, garrigues, forest edges and clearings, even in shady areas, up to 1200 m elevation.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Photo of Ophrys exaltata subsp. panormitana, taken in the Nature Reserve of Zingaro, municipality of Castellammare del Golfo, province of Trapani, on February 13, 2014 (photo by A. La Rosa).