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Atractodes is a cosmopolitan genus of Darwin wasps, belonging to the subfamily Phygadeuontinae. We started the revision of the Neotropical species in previous studies, with the stablishment of four species-groups. Here we address the fourth group, the A. podocarpus species-group, with the description of 24 new species: A. antennator sp. nov. , A. areolator sp. nov. , A. brevibasalis sp. nov. , A. mesoamericanus sp. nov. and A. monteverdensis sp. nov. from Central America; A. cabecar sp. nov. , A. puntarenae sp. nov. , A. taciturnus sp. nov. and A. tapantiensis sp. nov. from Costa Rica; A. aureus sp. nov. from Colombia; A. cuscoensis sp. nov. and A. longitergum sp. nov. from Peru; A. ecuadorensis sp. nov. , A. flavescens sp. nov. , A. flagellator sp. nov. , A. longigena sp. nov. , A. napoensis sp. nov. , A. paramoensis sp. nov. , A. podocarpus sp. nov. and A. thyridiator sp. nov. from Ecuador; A. pubescens sp. nov. from Costa Rica and Ecuador; A. epomiae sp. nov. and A. longibasalis sp. nov. from Venezuela; and A. crassiflagellator sp. nov. from South America. Keys to the species-groups and the species of the A. podocarpus species-group, as well as distribution maps of all Neotropical species are provided. The record of A. altoandinus Bordera, Mazón & Sääksjärvi, 2016, described from "Chile, La Raya, 4300 m", is revised and attributed to La Raya pass, Peru. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla King) is a species with great economic interest worldwide and is classified as vulnerable to extinction by the IUCN. Deforestation and climate change are the main hazards to this species. Therefore, it is vital to describe possible changes in distribution patterns under current and future climatic conditions, as they are important for their monitoring, conservation, and use. In the current study, we predict, for the very first time, the potential distribution of Mahogany based on data that reflect the total distribution of the species, climatic and edaphic variables, and a consensus model that combines the results of three statistical techniques. The obtained model was projected to future climatic conditions considering two general circulation models (GCM), under two shared socioeconomic pathways (SSP245 and SSP585) for 2070. Predictions under current climatic conditions indicated wide adequate areas in Central American countries such as Mexico and demonstrated a coverage of up to 28.5% within the limits of the protected areas. Under future scenarios, drastic reductions were observed in different regions, particularly in Venezuela, Perú, and Ecuador, with losses of up to 56.0%. On the other hand, an increase in suitable areas for the species within protected areas was also detected. The results of this study are certainly useful for identifying currently unrecorded populations of Mahogany, as well as for identifying locations that are likely to be suitable both now and in the future for conservation management planning. The methodology proposed in this work is able to be used for other forest species in tropical zones as a tool for conducting dynamic conservation and restoration strategies that consider the effects of climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new species of Epidendrum L. from northern Peru is described, illustrated, and compared with related species. This new species belongs to the Laxicaule Group and shares morphological characteristics with Epidendrum laxicaule D.E. Benn & Christenson but differs in the shape and length of the dorsal sepal; the shape of the petals and the lip, ribs position of the lip, shape of the vesicle formed between the ovary and the column as well as the section of the stem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resumen: Se describen e ilustran Magnolia enepeceana y M. reynelii, dos nuevas especies de Magnoliaceae del departamento de Amazonas en Perú. Magnolia enepeciana difiere de M. llanganatensis, M. manguillo y M. morii por sus estipulas densamente seríceas, hojas glabras, hipsófilos vaginales externamente seríceos, estambres pequeños (5–6 mm de longitud) y gineceo con pocos carpelos (6–10). Magnolia reynelli es similar a M. gloriensis, M. espinalii y M. steyermakii de los cuales difiere por sus estipulas lanosas, hipsófilos vaginales externamente glabrescentes a pubescentes, 81 estambres y gineceo con 28–33 carpelos. Ambas especies pertenecientes a la sección Talauma, subsección Talauma. Además se presentan datos sobre su ecología y estado de conservación. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elucidating new reproductive traits and evaluating how they vary within and among species in a geographic context, is relevant to understanding the evolutionary processes underlying diversity in life-history strategies. In this study we describe the breeding biology of Catharus dryas in a Peruvian population, and compare life history traits with a subtropical population and other temperate Catharus thrushes to better understand intra and interspecific variations in nesting traits. We monitored 35 nests of C. dryas between 2008 and 2013 in an Andean cloud forest of the Manu National Park in Peru and conducted a literature review of the nesting biology of Catharus species. We provide new information on nest architecture, nestling growth rate, incubation behaviour, reproductive phenology and egg temperature. The intraspecific comparison with an Argentinian population showed that despite the 13° latitudinal differences, nesting characters were highly conserved. These include a clutch size of two eggs, and an incubation and nestling period of 14 days. Nest attendance differed slightly (60 and 67% in Peru and Argentina, respectively). The interspecific comparisons showed that tropical and temperate species followed respectively slow and fast reproductive strategies in most of the traits according to the life-history theory, but other such as average incubation time, nestling feeding rate, and some dimensions in the nest architecture were similar between C. dryas and the temperate species. Although detailed descriptions are needed for Catharus species, especially tropical species to conduct more robust comparisons, our results exemplify how intra and interspecific comparison based on natural history data can help to understand life-history evolution in a biogeographic context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]