Thismia kobensis (Burmanniaceae), a new and presumably extinct species from Hyogo Prefecture, Japan

Abstract

Thismia Griffith (1844: 221), Thismiaceae J. Agardh or Burmanniaceae sensu APG VI (2016), is one of the most species-rich mycoheterotrophic genera, consisting of ca. 80 species (Jonker 1948, Merckx et al. 2013). Considering that most of these species were collected only once (Jonker 1948) and that many new species have recently been discovered in various Asian countries (e.g. Suetsugu et al. 2017, 2018), many more undescribed species are likely in these regions.

Thismia ornata and T. coronata (Thismiaceae), two new species from Sarawak, Borneo

“…For example, 14 species were described in 2018 alone (Chantanaorrapint & Suddee 2018;Nishioka & al. 2018;Siti Munirah 2018;Suetsugu & al. 2018aSuetsugu & al.…”

Rediscovery of the presumably extinct fairy lantern Thismia kobensis (Thismiaceae) in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan, with discussions on its taxonomy, evolutionary history, and conservation

“…A plausible explanation for their extreme rarity and highly localized distribution could be that they show high host specificity for associated mycorrhizal fungi, whose occurrences restrict their distribution, and they prefer soil that is extremely low in nutrients (Gomes et al 2017(Gomes et al , 2019. Notably, given that (i) the preferred habitat (primary forest) is in unprecedented decline worldwide, and (ii) a substantial number of Thismia species appear to be stenoendemic and are known only from type collections, several species may already be extinct (Dančák et al 2018(Dančák et al , 2020Sochor et al 2018;Suetsugu et al 2018a). One example, albeit atypical in habitat and distribution, is T. americana N. Pfeiffer (1914: 123), which has not been found since a few years after its first discovery in a wet prairie in Chicago, Illinois in 1912 (Merckx & Smets 2014).…”

Oxygyne: An extraordinarily elusive flower

“…Oxygyne yamashitae was described in 2008 (Yahara & Tsukaya, ); indeed, the first taxonomic monograph of Oxygyne was published only in 2018 (Cheek et al, ) and raised the number of recognized species from four to six. Meanwhile, recent discoveries in the related genus Thismia include T. cornuta , T. pallida (Hroneš et al, ), and T. hexagona (Dančák et al, ) in Borneo; T. filiformis in Thailand (Chantanaorrapint, ); T. clavarioides in Australia (Thiele & Jordan, ); the rediscovery of T. neptunis —not seen for 151 years—in Borneo in 2017 (Sochor, Egertová, Hroneš, & Dančák, ); and T. kobensis found preserved in a Japanese natural history museum, and probably now extinct (Suetsugu, Nakanishi, Kobayashi, & Kurosaki, ). This remarkable spate of recent discoveries, coupled with elusive life history, suggests more species await discovery in the Thismiaceae.…”