Telipogon rojasiae C. Martel, A. Diaz & Iturralde, 2025

Martel, Carlos, Diaz Hernández, Alex G., Iturralde, Gabriel A. & Collantes, Benjamín, 2025, Telipogon rojasiae (Orchidaceae, Oncidiinae), a new species from relict forests on the western slopes of the northern Peruvian Andes, PhytoKeys 265, pp. 49-60 : 49-60

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.265.164394
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17371866
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/76BB6CB2-35B1-5DDB-842D-13C67C3AD11E
treatment provided by	PhytoKeys by Pensoft
scientific name	Telipogon rojasiae C. Martel, A. Diaz & Iturralde
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Telipogon rojasiae C. Martel, A. Diaz & Iturralde sp. nov.

Figs 1 View Figure 1 , 2 View Figure 2 , 3 View Figure 3

Type.

Peru • Lambayeque. Prov. Ferreñafe, [Dist. Incahuasi,] Tungula , [geographical coordinates omitted for conservation purposes], 3369 m, 29 Jan 2023, Alex G. Diaz H. 493 ( holotype: PRG! [Accession N ° 20392]. isotype: PRG! [Accession N ° 20392]) .

Diagnosis.

Telipogon rojasiae is most similar to Telipogon montufarianus but differs by its cream-yellow flowers heavily stained with red vinaceous (vs. bright yellow flowers), the sub-rhombic to obovate petals, 15–17 × 11–12 mm (vs. elliptic petals, 12 × 8 mm), the greater number of veins in the petals (9–10 veins vs. 5 veins) and labellum (26 veins vs. 16–19 veins), and its sagittate callus (vs. a widely sub-cordiform callus).

Description.

Epiphytic herb, erect, sympodial, acaulous in young plants and with a visible short stem in older plants, up to 15 cm including the inflorescence. Roots terete, 1.6–2.2 mm in diameter. Stem abbreviated, forming pseudobulb-like structures on mature plants. Leaves 2.5–5.9 × 0.6–1.1 cm, 3–9, subcoriaceous, lanceolate-oblong to narrowly sub-elliptic, entire, acute apex, base articulated to a conduplicate leaf sheath that covers the stem; the basal leaves smaller than the upper leaves. Inflorescence an apical and lateral raceme; scape 5–7 × 0.2 cm, triquetrous, up to 5 flowers, one to two flowers opening in succession. Floral bract 15–16 × 5–6 mm (progressively decreasing in size in the following bracts), conduplicate, decurrent, falcate in natural position, widely ovate when expanded, acute, carinate. Ovary 20–21 × 3.0– 3.1 mm, triquetrous, winged, pedicellate. Pedicel 6–11 mm long, triquetrous. Flowers 20–25 mm in diameter, non-resupinate. Sepals greenish-yellow with red vinaceous, spots, semitranslucent; lateral sepals 11–12 × 5–6 mm, ovate, entire, basally concave, acute apex, curved in natural position, with entire margin, 3 - veined, carinate abaxially; dorsal sepal 13–14 × 5–6 mm, narrowly ovate, entire, concave towards the base, acute apex, 3 - veined, carinate abaxially. Petals 15–17 × 11–12 mm, red-vinaceous with spots, sub-rhombic to obovate, apex acute to sub-acute, 9–10 - veined. Labellum 12–13 × 16–17 mm when expanded, red-vinaceous with spots, reniform, concave, the base embracing almost the entire column, the apex rounded, protruding, 26 - veined. Callus 3.2–3.6 × 5.7–6.1 mm, elevated, dark purple towards the apex, yellow towards the base, sagittate with a rounded apex, setose at the centre of the apex, fimbriate margin. Column 3.4 mm long, 2.4 mm wide, sub-rhomboid, dark yellow, ventral surface densely covered by minute conical papillae with acute apex, 3 tufts of setae; setae dark purple to white, simple, capilliform, up to 2.2 mm long. Clinandrium concave, with rounded edges, with a dorsal projection covering up to half of the anther cap. Stigma suborbicular. Rostellum erect. Anther cap 1.7 × 2.1 mm, red, cordiform, bilocular. Pollinarium 2.4 × 1.9 mm; pollinia 4 in 2 unequal pairs; outer pair obovoid, convex-flat; inner pair ellipsoid, laterally complanate; caudicle hyaline; viscidium uncinate. Fruit not seen.

Phenology.

Plants of T. rojasiae have been recorded in flower between August and January, the dry season in the southern hemisphere.

Eponymy.

Telipogon rojasiae is named after Dr Consuelo Rojas, professor of Botany at the Universidad Nacional Pedro Ruiz Gallo, for her work on biodiversity and plant conservation in Northern Peru.

Distribution, habitat and ecology.

Telipogon rojasiae is only known from the western slopes of the northern Peruvian Andes between 2800 and 3400 m asl (Fig. 4 View Figure 4 ). The ecosystem of this area has been categorised as relict montane forests of the western slope ( Ministerio del Ambiente 2019). These relict forests are located in the western Andean slopes of northwest Peru and southwest Ecuador and possess a rich biodiversity, including many endemic species and genera ( Weigend et al. 2005 a, 2005 b).

We have so far recorded five small subpopulations, which occur in small forest patches. In these areas, Miconia sp. is the dominant plant species, followed by Brachyotum ledifolium (Desr.) Triana , Hedyosmum scabrum (Ruiz & Pav.) Solms , Grosvenoria jelskii (Hieron.) R. M. King & H. Rob. , and Myrica pubescens Humb. & Bonpl. ex Willd. In terms of orchids, many species co-occur with T. rojasiae , including Cyrtochilum loesenerianum (Schltr.) Dalström , Epidendrum capitellatum C. Schweinf. , E. hemiscleria Rchb. f. , E. scutella Lindl. , Fernandezia ionanthera (Rchb. f. & Warsz.) Schltr. , Liparis elegantula Kraenzl. , and Telipogon papilio Rchb. f. & Warsz.

The flower morphology resembles the general morphology of flowers in Telipogon species pollinated by sexual deception involving tachinid male flies (e. g. T. peruvianus T. Hashim. , T. bowmanii Rchb. f. ; Martel et al. 2016, 2019), which suggests T. rojasiae may have a similar pollination mechanism.

Preliminary conservation status.

Telipogon rojasiae was first observed in 2016; since then, only five small subpopulations, each comprising fewer than 20 individuals, have been recorded. The five subpopulations occur in disturbed and patchy forests, which are threatened by deforestation. Its EOO is estimated to be 132.5 km 2, falling into the Endangered category under subcriterion B 1, whereas its AOO is estimated at 5 km 2 (a cell of 1 km 2 due to the small forest remnants), falling into the Critically Endangered category under subcriterion B 2. The known habitat of T. rojasiae , the relict forests, is severely fragmented (a), and we project that the five known subpopulations will decline over time and the AOO and EOO will be reduced. Therefore, following the IUCN (2024) criteria, we informally assessed the conservation status of T. rojasiae as Critically Endangered [CR B 2 ab (i, ii, iii, iv)].

Taxonomic notes.

Telipogon rojasiae is morphologically most similar to T. montufarianus H. Medina, J. Portilla & Hirtz , for being a medium-sized plant (< 10–15 cm including the inflorescence) and having small flowers of similar size ( 20–25 mm in diam.), a similar colouration in the sepals, the concave labellum, an elevated callus, and a column with three tufts of capilliform setae (Fig. 5 View Figure 5 ). Some of the differences between both species have been detailed in the diagnosis; however, the most notable are the colour of the flowers (cream-yellow flowers heavily stained with red vinaceous in T. rojasiae vs. bright yellow flowers in T. montufarianus ), the shape of the petals (sub-rhombic to obovate petals vs. elliptic), the shape of the callus (sagittate in T. rojasiae vs. widely sub-cordiform in T. montufarianus ), the number of veins in the petals (10 veins in T. rojasiae vs. 5 veins in T. montufarianus ) and the labellum (26 veins in T. rojasiae vs. 16–19 veins in T. montufarianus ) (Fig. 4 View Figure 4 ). Additionally, T. rojasiae inhabits the montane forests of the eastern Andean slopes of northwestern Peru, while T. montufarianus is distributed in the western slopes of southeastern Ecuador (Table 1 View Table 1 ). Telipogon rojasiae seems to be also morphologically similar to Telipogon frymirei Dodson , from southeastern Ecuador, as they both have a concave labellum and an elevated callus; however, T. rojasiae can be easily discriminated by the sub-rhombic to sub-obovate petals (vs. elliptic petals in T. frymirei ), the reniform labellum (vs. broadly ovate in T. frymirei ), the sagittate callus (vs. sub-triangular, lingulate callus in T. frymirei ), and the rounded margins of the stigmatic cavity (vs. a stigmatic cavity with incurved teeth in T. frymirei ) (Table 1 View Table 1 ).

There are at least two Telipogon species that might be closely related to T. rojasiae : T. montufarianus and an undescribed Telipogon species presented as T. frymirei Dodson by Dodson (2002) in his book Native Ecuadorian Orchids, volume III. The latter displays the typical concave labellum and a hairy elevated callus, as T. rojasiae and T. montufarianus do; in addition, it has dark red to purplish flowers. These and other characters of the specimen portrayed by Dodson (2002) differ strongly from the characters presented in the original description and drawing of T. frymirei ( Dodson 1984) . The misidentified species resembles T. montufarianus in petal shape and T. rojasiae in labellum shape. Unfortunately, no material is available to compare our new entity with the actual and misidentified T. frymirei . Moreover, in the same book, Dodson depicted a picture of a flower of T. montufarianus – which was still undescribed at that time – as T. ecuadorensis Schltr. , despite these two species being morphologically very distinct. Explorations in the type locality of T. frymirei are being carried out, which we hope will shed light on the true identity of this and other Telipogon species, as well as the potential occurrence of T. rojasiae in Ecuador.

As a side note, T. montufarianus was originally described as T. montufariana ( Medina et al. 2019) , which is an incorrect declension, since the genus name Telipogon is masculine, and therefore the species epithet should be declined with the suffix “ ianus ”. Similarly, T. humboldtianus H. Medina, J. Portilla & Hirtz was originally named T. humboldtiana ( Medina et al. 2019) , which we correct here.

Other records.

Peru • Cajamarca. Prov. Chota, [ Dist. Querocoto,] Querocoto , 3144 m, 20 Aug 2017, Alex G. Diaz H. 271 ( PRG! [Accession N ° 20391]) ; • ibid. 3148 m, 20 Sep 2018, Alex G. Diaz H. 270 ( PRG! [Accession N ° 20390]) ; • ibid. Pagaibamba , 2808 m, 11 Aug 2018, Alex G. Diaz H. 268 ( PRG! [Accession N ° 20389]) ; • ibid. Lambayeque. Prov. Ferreñafe, [ Dist. Incahuasi,] Tungula , 3400 m, 17 Oct 2016, Alex G. Diaz H. 128 ( PRG! [Accession N ° 18754]) .