New Species of Virola (Myristicaceae) from South America

With about 70 species Virola, is the largest genus of Myristicaceae in the Neotropics, the genus ranked in the top ten genera of abundance across Amazonia. Ten new species are proposed in this striking genus, which are described based on morphology, and are illustrated. The new species were discovered thanks to herbarium specimens collected mainly in the 1980s and 1990s when field documentations were more active. The new species come from Colombia (V. calimensis sp. nov., V. cogolloi sp. nov., V. excisa sp. nov., V. tuckerae sp. nov.), Ecuador (V. alvaroperezii sp. nov., V. bombuscaroensis sp. nov., V. calimensis, V. excisa, V. yasuniana sp. nov.), Peru (V. aguarunana sp. nov., V. cumala sp. nov., V. excisa, V. parkeri sp. nov.), and Brazil (V. excisa, V. yasuniana). Additionally, a lectotype is designated for V. macrocarpa, a name used to identify some specimens of the new species here described, and V. kwatae is reported for the first time for Brazil. We provide a comparation table between the new species and the species that is morphologically close to it, a preliminary list of species for the genus, and notes of how the new species were treated in floras, checklists, or collections that need more study and herbarium specimens.

Automated summary

This study describes ten new species of the Virola genus, which were mainly discovered through herbarium specimens collected in the 1980s and 1990s. These new species come from Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Brazil, and a comparison table with morphologically similar species is provided.