First record of functional underground traps in a pitcher plant: Nepenthes pudica (Nepenthaceae), a new species from North Kalimantan, Borneo

Abstract

Nepenthes pudica, a new species from North Kalimantan, Indonesia, is described and illustrated. The species belongs to the N. hirsuta group (sensu Cheek and Jebb 1999) but exhibits some characters that are unique within the group or even within the genus. Above all, it produces underground, achlorophyllous shoots with well-developed, ventricose lower pitchers that form in soil cavities or directly in the soil. No lower pitchers are formed above ground. The main part of its prey are ants, besides other litter- and soil-inhabiting species of invertebrates. A number of infaunal species were found in both aerial and underground pitchers, mainly Diptera and nematodes. Nepenthes pudica is known only from a few neighbouring localities in the Mentarang Hulu district of North Kalimantan, where it grows on ridgetops at an elevation of 1100–1300 m. Its discovery underlines the natural richness of Borneo’s rainforest and the necessity to preserve this important ecosystem with its enormous and still undiscovered biodiversity.

Carnivorous plants and conservation – the role of carnivorous plant enthusiasts

“…The great pressure by over-collecting and the threat by poaching also lead to the fact that for many of the newly discovered CP species, especially for spectacular species that might be of high horticultural demand, exact localities are no longer provided for conservation reasons in publications and species descriptions. This became necessary for a good deal of new CP species that have been published as new to science in the past decades, e.g., Drosera buubugujin (Mathieson & Thompson 2020), D. atrata, D. hortiorum, D. koikyennuruff, D. macropetala, D. reflexa, D. rubricalyx (Krueger et al 2023, Nepenthes berbulu (Tan et al 2023), N. flava (Wistuba et al 2007), N. holdenii (Mey et al 2008), N. pudica (Dančák et al 2022), N. undulatifolia (Lee et al 2011), and others (essentially, most new Nepenthes species described recently). All these species descriptions explicitly state that exact localities were withheld for conservation purposes to avoid exploitation of the sites for the horticultural demand.…”

Replicated radiations in the South American marsh pitcher plants (Heliamphora) lead to convergent carnivorous trap morphologies

“…Many Nepenthes species have diversified and further modified their pitcher traps to specialize in novel symbiotic relationships (e.g., ant‐mutualism in N. bicalcarata Hook.f.) or novel nutrient acquisition strategies (e.g., detritus‐feeding in N. ampullaria Jack, fecal‐feeding in N. lowii Hook.f., and subterranean‐feeding in N. pudica Dančák & Majeský) (Moran et al, 2012; Thornham et al, 2012; Dančák et al, 2022; Gilbert et al, 2022). A similar radiation has occurred across Sarraceniaceae lineages, giving rise to many species with novel trap types (e.g., lobster traps of Darlingtonia californica Torr.…”

Replicated radiations in the South American Marsh Pitcher genus Heliamphora (Sarraceniaceae) lead to convergent carnivorous trap morphologies

“…ant-mutualism in N. bicalcarata) or novel nutrient acquisition strategies (e.g. detritus-feeding in N. ampullaria, fecal-feeding in N. lowii, and subterranean-feeding in N. pudica) (Thornham et al 2012;Moran et al 2012;Gilbert et al 2022;Dančák et al 2022). A similar radiation has occurred across Sarraceniaceae lineages, giving rise to many species with novel trap types (e.g.…”