DO CUTICLE CHARACTERS SUPPORT THE RECOGNITION OF ALSEODAPHNE, NOTHAPHOEBE & DEHAASIA AS DISTINCT GENERA?
ABSTRACT: Do cuticle
characters support the recognition of Alseodaphne, Nothaphoebe and Dehaasia as
distinct genera? Reinwardtia 14(1): 53 – 66. ― The Asian members of the Persea
group are divided among the genera Alseodaphne, Apollonias, Dehaasia, Machilus,
Nothaphoebe and Phoebe. A recent phylogenetic analysis has shown that Machilus
and Phoebe are supported as monophyletic genera but evidence that the closely related
genera Alseodaphne, Dehaasia and Nothaphoebe are monophyletic or not was
equivocal. In this study we analyzed cuticle characters of 95 collections
belonging to the Asian members except for Apollonias. We anticipated two possible
outcomes. If the genera were not monophyletic, we expected that the groups
based on cuticle characters would consist of species belonging to different
genera. If the genera were monophyletic, we expected that the groups based on cuticle
characters would consist of species belonging to the same genus. We found 16
groups based on cuticles. Of these, 12 consisted of species of a single genus
(one group included a single species and thus a single genus). The four mixed
groups included mostly species of one genus with 1 or 2 species of a different
genus. Our results support the recognition of Alseodaphne, Dehaasia, Machilus,
Nothaphoebe and Phoebe as distinct genera.
Author: SACHIKO NISHIDA, HENK
VAN DER WERFF
Journal Code: jpbiologigg140015
