Nymphaea kakaduensis (Nymphaeaceae), a new species from the northern portion of the Northern Territory, Australia

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7751/telopea15022

Keywords:

water lily, endemic, Kakadu National Park, haplotype network

Abstract

Nymphaea kakaduensis C. B. Hellq., A. Leu & M. L. Moody (Nymphaeaceae) is described from Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory. This new species is endemic to the “Top End” of the Northern Territory and was formerly included in N. violacea Lehm. The distinct floral form of N. kakaduensis of having generally smaller flowers with blunt-tipped petals and different coloration than N. violacea instigated a genetic study of taxa from the region. The cpDNA trnL (UAA) - trnF (GAA) intergenic spacer region was sequenced from samples from across northern Australia and a haplotype network analysis was conducted. Plants from populations that had the distinct floral form of N. kakaduensis are found to be genetically distinct from N. violacea in northern Australia sharing 4 SNPs and a notable 23 bp indel in the cpDNA intergenic spacer region to support the morphological attributes and species designation.

Author Biographies

Carl Barre Hellquist, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, emeritus, retired

Professor of Biology, Emeritus

Michael L. Moody, University of Texas at El Paso

Associate Professor, Biological Sciences

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Published

2021-06-29

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Section

Articles