151. Two new species of nopal (Opuntia, Cactaceae) from the Baja California Peninsula (Mexico)
- Author
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Muñoz, Fermín Mercado, Luz, José Luis León De La, Rebman, Jon P., Narváez, Alfonso Medel, and Ramos, Rafael Campos
- Subjects
Cactaceae ,0106 biological sciences ,geography ,geography.geographical_feature_category ,Ecology ,Plant community ,Biodiversity ,Plant Science ,Biology ,010603 evolutionary biology ,01 natural sciences ,Caryophyllales ,Tracheophyta ,Magnoliopsida ,Deciduous ,Sympatric speciation ,Peninsula ,Cape ,Plantae ,Eudicots ,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics ,Taxonomy ,010606 plant biology & botany - Abstract
Two new species of prickly-pear/nopal (Opuntia sierralagunensis and O. caboensis, Cactaceae) are described and illustrated here; both occur in the tropical deciduous forest plant community found in the Cape region of the Baja California Peninsula, Mexico. Previously, these two species had been overlooked and were considered extreme forms of species described from the Sierra de La Giganta (e.g., O. comonduensis, O tapona), located hundreds of kilometers away. However, with an improved collection of specimens and field knowledge of the Opuntia species in the region, we have determined that these prickly-pears are new to science and are restricted to the Cape region. We provide justification to separate them from sympatric congeners and other similar species in the southern peninsula.
- Published
- 2021