Wittmackia

Diversité décrite (Catalogue of Life)

Statut de conservation IUCN (parmi les espèces évaluées)

• CR
  1 (100.0%)

Distribution biogéographique

• Distribution and habitat: — Wittmackia aurantiolilacina is known from its type region only. The specimen that originated de holotype was documented in Alto Cariri National Park (ACNP), a public park situated in the municipality of Guaratinga, in the south part of Bahia state, and the paratype specimen was found in the Reserva Particular do Patrimônio Natural Fazenda Duas Barras (RPPN Faz. Duas Barras), which is a private reserve covered by the Mata dos Muriquis Wildlife Refuge (MMWR) adjacent to Alto Cariri State Park (ACSP), in the municipality of Santa Maria do Salto, northeast of Minas Gerais state (Fig. 1). It is a typical inhabitant of the understory of Atlantic Ombrophilous Dense Forest in mid-altitude areas of 380 m to 950 m elevation, where if forms dense, sparsely distributed clumps. The specimen that originated the holotype (Guaratinga, Bahia) was collected sterile, in a disturbed Atlantic Forest fragment mixed with abandoned cocoa plantation popularly known as “ cabruca ”. The additional specimens, here designated as paratype (Santa Maria do Salto, Minas Gerais), was registered in post-floral stage, as an epiphyte, about 2 m above the ground, in a well-preserved fragment of Atlantic Forest. Conservation status: — Wittmackia aurantiolilacina is putatively an endemic species to southern Bahia and neighboring northeast Minas Gerais, Brazil, growing inside two conservation units (ACNP and RPPN Faz. Duas Barras / MMWR). These parks, despite their status of protected areas, are experiencing ongoing habitat degradation and fragmentation. Key threats include habitat loss (due to the establishment of cabruca systems, now abandoned) and declining habitat quality due to deforestation for pasture establishment and the increasing frequency and intensity of fire events. Our overlap analyses (Jordão et al. 2022) revealed that at least 30 % of the ACNP area is currently converted to anthropogenic uses, such as pastures (22 % of the entire park area), cocoa plantations, coffee, and an alternative mosaic of anthropic uses (8,64 %) (Fig. 1). These disturbances are of particular concern as the area did not historically evolve with fire as a natural component of its ecological processes. The species is only known from two sites, therefore, the Extent of Occurrence (EOO) should be equal to the Area of Occupancy (AOO). Given the limited distribution of W. aurantiolilacina, its Area of Occupancy (AOO) and Extent of Occurrence (EOO) are both extremely restricted (8 km ²). The species has lost over 30 % of its AOO due to land cover conversion, most of it converted into pasturelands (nearly 21 % of its AOO). In spite of being known from two localities, we estimated one single location, as both sites are affected similarly by fire and habitat conversion. The continuous decline in AOO, EOO, and the overall quality and extent of habitat further justify assessing W. aurantiolilacina as Critically Endangered under IUCN criteria B 1 ab (i, ii, iii) + B 2 ab (i, ii, iii). Although detailed data on population size and trends are currently unavailable, the rapid loss of forest cover in the region, together with increasing fire events, poses a significant threat to this epiphytic species. It is reasonable to infer population reductions, as the reduction in forest habitat likely results in fewer suitable microhabitats for its growth and survival.1 esp.

Régions biogéographiques agrégées depuis Catalogue of Life Cross-References (distribution par espèce déclarative).

Taxons enfants directs (47)

• Espèce Wittmackia abbreviata1
• Espèce Wittmackia altocaririensis1
• Espèce Wittmackia amorimii1
• Espèce Wittmackia andersoniana1
• Espèce Wittmackia antillana2
• Espèce Wittmackia aurantiolilacina
• Espèce Wittmackia bicolor2
• Espèce Wittmackia brasiliensis4
• Espèce Wittmackia burle-marxii2
• Espèce Wittmackia canaliculata1
• Espèce Wittmackia carvalhoi1
• Espèce Wittmackia caymanensis1
• Espèce Wittmackia conduruensis
• Espèce Wittmackia distans3
• Espèce Wittmackia eriostachya1
• Espèce Wittmackia fawcettii2
• Espèce Wittmackia froesii2
• Espèce Wittmackia gregaria1
• Espèce Wittmackia guedesiae
• Espèce Wittmackia incompta1
• Espèce Wittmackia inermis1
• Espèce Wittmackia ituberaensis1
• Espèce Wittmackia jamaicana1
• Espèce Wittmackia laesslei1