<p><strong>Bridging the Mozambique Channel: first record of <em>Dombeya rosacea</em> (Dombeyoideae, Malvaceae) for Mayotte (Comoros Archipelago, Indian Ocean)</strong></p>

Abstract

In this study, we used an integrative approach combining morphological and molecular data with ecology, in order to clarify the identity of a Dombeya newly recorded as occurring in Mayotte. Morphological and molecular evidence are in agreement and convincingly show that specimens of this newly recorded species can be confidently assigned to D. rosacea, previously known only from four herbarium sheets from Madagascar. The new populations of this species in the Comoros significantly expand the extant area of occupancy of D. rosacea. Ecological preferences are also discussed, as populations of D. rosacea were found in greatly contrasting sub-humid habitats. This newly reported geographical disjunction between the Comoros and Madagascar strengthens the evidence for a biogeographic connection between the floras of these two regions.

Integrative taxonomy and phylogeny of leafless Vanilla orchids from the South‐West Indian Ocean region reveal two new Malagasy species

“…Also, additional islands appeared between Seychelles and the Mascarene Islands (Warren et al, 2010), probably facilitating the recent dispersal of the ancestor of V. phalaenopsis from Madagascar. Inter‐islands dispersions from Madagascar to the other islands of the SWIO region have also been reported many times in plants including orchids (Yuan et al, 2005; Micheneau et al, 2008; Wikström et al, 2010; Jaros et al, 2016; Kainulainen et al, 2017; Le Péchon et al, 2020). In Vanilla , these transoceanic dispersal events may have occurred through floating vegetation mats moved by sea currents and winds (Renner, 2004; Zhang et al, 2007), or by frugivorous migratory animals (zoochory) of which birds and bats have been suspected to be the main dispersal vectors for Vanilla species in the SWIO region and elsewhere (Lubinsky et al, 2006; Bory et al, 2008; Bouetard et al, 2010; Gigant et al, 2011b), facilitated here by the short distance between the different territories (<2000 km).…”