Poa magellensis: A new species of Grass from the Central Apennines of Italy.

The genus Poa is one of the largest genera of Grasses; it has a cosmopolitan distribution, being principally found in the temperate regions of both hemispheres and in mountainous regions of the tropics. It is a monophyletic genus (i.e. the all members of the genus share a single ancestor, and no decendant of that ancestor is placed outside the genus) and comprises approximately 550 annual and perennial species.

In a paper published in the journal PhytoKeys on 3 April 2020, Fabio Conti of the Scuola di Bioscienze e Medicina Veterinaria at the Università di Camerino, and the Centro Ricerche Floristiche dell’Appennino at the Parco Nazionale del Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga, Luciano Di Martino of the Ufficio Monitoraggio e Conservazione della Biodiversità vegetale at the Parco Nazionale Majella, and Fabrizio Bartolucci, also of the Scuola di Bioscienze e Medicina Veterinaria at the Università di Camerino, and the Centro Ricerche Floristiche dell’Appennino at the Parco Nazionale del Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga, describe a new species of Poa from the Parco Nazionale Majella in the Central Apennines of Italy.

The new species is named Poa magellensis, meaning 'from Magella' (an alternative spelling of Majella. It is a perennial herbaceous Grass forming dense tufts of short leaves (up to 19.6 mm in length), with culms (flower-bearing stems) up to 150 mm in length. Poa magellensis is endemic to Majella Mountains (i.e. found nowhere else). It grows on limestone rocky slopes from 2200 up to 2730 m above sealevel. Flowers are produced in July, seeds in July and August. 

Poa magellensis. (A) Panicle (Cima delle Murelle, Abruzzo, Italy). (B) Tuft bicoloured, green and white because of the brightness of the large exerted ligules (Cima delle Murelle, Abruzzo, Italy). (C) Species habitat (Cima delle Murelle, Abruzzo, Italy). Fabio Conti in Conti et al. (2020).

Poa magellensis is found only at a single location, within the Majella National Park, with the total population restricted to within an area of 6.86 lm². As such the population is small but not declining. and entirely within a protected national park. As such Conti et al. recomend that it be treated as Near Threatened under the terms of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species.

See also...

Follow Sciency Thoughts on Facebook.

Deinogalerix samni: A new species of Moonrat from the Late Miocene of Central Italy.

Moonrats, Galericinae, are Rodent-like carnivorous Mammals closely related to Hedgehogs. They are found in the forests of Southeast Asia, and are thought to be of East Asian origin, appearing in the Eocene and probably being similar in form to the earliest Eulipotyphles (the group that also includes Hedgehogs, Shrews and Moles). They reached their maximum distribution during the Miocene, when they reached as far as Europe and Africa. One notable genus, Deinogalerix, is known from the Late Miocene of the Gargano Promontory in Central Italy (which was an island in the Miocene), where it underwent a local evolutionary radiation in the absence of other predators, producing a number of Cat- and Dog-like forms.

In a paper published in the journal Palaeontologica Electronica in April 2017, Andrea Savorelli of the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Florence, Federico Masini of the Department of Earth and Marine Sciences at the University of Palermo, Paul Mazza, also of the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Florence, and Maria Adelaide Rossi and Silvano Agostini of the Archaeological Superintendency of Abruzzo, describe a new species of Deinogalerix from the Late Miocene of Gargano.

The new species is named Deinogalerix samni, where 'samni' refers to the Samnites, the ancient inhabitants of the region. The species is described from two fragmental right maxillaries, two fragments of horizontal rami of left hemimandibles and a well preserved, isolated first molar. The specimens were all found in the collections of museums and universities and were identified as a new species during a review of the genus, based upon the size ratios of the molars and premolars of the specimens.

Deinogalerix samniticus, from Scontrone. (1)–(2) Fragment of left hemimandible, with p3, p4, alveoli of p2, broken m1, m2, and m3 partially embedded in the rock, (1) labial view, (2), occlusal view. (3)–(5) Isolated left first molar, (3) occlusal view, (4) labial view, (5), lingual view. (6)–(7) Fragmental right maxillary with complete P3 and fragmented P4, (6) occlusal view, (7) lingual view. (8) Fragmental right maxillary, with M3 and postero-lingual portion of M2. Savorelli et al. (2017).

See also...

Follow Sciency Thoughts on Facebook.