Diospyros comorensis Hiern 1873
Creators: name: Schatz, George E.
name: Lowry II, Porter P.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2020
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Plantae
Tracheophyta
Magnoliopsida
Ericales
Ebenaceae
Diospyros
Diospyros comorensis

description: Diospyros comorensis Hiern
(Fig. 7)
Transactions of the Cambridge Philosophical Society 12: 220 (1873).
— Lectotype (here designated): Mayotte, without precise locality, 1846-1848, Boivin s.n. (W [W0007071]!).
Diospyros ankifiensis H. Perrier, Mémoires de l’Institut scientifique de Madagascar, série B, Biologie végétale 4: 153 (1952).
— Lectotype (designated by Schatz & Lowry 2011): Madagascar. Diana Region [Prov. Antsiranana], Ambohipiraka, [13°10’30”S, 49°06’00”E], X.1932, Perrier de la Bâthie 18751 (lecto-, P [P00541730]!; isolecto-, P [P00541731]!), syn. nov.
ADDITIONAL MATERIAL EXAMINED. — Madagascar. Diana Region [Prov. Antsiranana]: Analabe, Andriamihajarivo 1370; Ankarana AP, Andrianantoanina 726, 968; same locality, Bardot-Vaucoulon 843, 1341, 1577; Montagne des Français, Be 326; Nossi Be, Boivin s.n.; Andavakoera, Guittou 354; Ankarana AP, Harder 1707; Sommet de la forêt de Galoko, Manjato 493; Bobataolana, Rakotoarisoa 474; Ambondromifehy, Rakotoarisoa 622; Ananjaka, forêt de Tsiandrotonana, Randrianaivo 1107; Ankarana AP, Randrianaivo 2405, 2427; Anjahana, Randrianaivo 3299; Montagne des Français, Ratovoson 1270; Ampombiantambo, Razafitsalama 1228, 1249; Ankarana, Rogers 1158; Antsampano, Beately, Rakotonasolo 1040; Ankarana AP, Randrianaivo 3234, 3235, 3236, 3237, 3238; Sahafary, Schatz 4360; Ankarana AP, Service Forestier 6190, 7271, 10430, 10661, 18975. — Sofia Region [Prov. Mahajanga]: Anjajavy, Rasoafaranaivo 245, 254.
DISTRIBUTION AND ECOLOGY. — Diospyros comorensis occurs in dry to subhumid forest in northwestern Madagascar from Anjajavy to Montagne des Français, and on Mayotte in the Comoro Islands (Madagascar Catalogue 2020).
PHENOLOGY. — Diospyros comorensis has been recorded in flower in March and April, and in fruit from July to February.
VERNACULAR NAMES. — Jobiampototra (Andrianantoanina 968; Service Forestier 6190, 10430, 10661), Mampingo (Rasoafaranaivo 254).
CONSERVATION STATUS. — Diospyros comorensis has a geographic range in the form of an EOO of 72 225 km 2 and a minimum AOO of 84 km 2. It has been recorded in the protected areas of Ankarana, Galoko-Kalobinono, and Montagne des Français (and possibly Lokobe). Outside of these protected areas it is threatened by fire, clearing of forest for agriculture, and collection of firewood and construction material. With respect to the principal threats of fire and forest clearing for agriculture, D. comorensis exists at 15 locations, and can therefore be assessed for its risk of extinction as Near Threatened [NT], as it nearly qualifies for Vulnerable status under criterion B2 (IUCN 2012).
NOTES
Diospyros comorensis can be distinguished from D. squamosa by its male flowers borne on pedicels in branched cymose inflorescences (vs. sessile in triads) and by its fruiting calyx, which is flat to slightly revolute with the margins flat (vs. strongly revolute, the margins revolute). It has not been recollected from the type locality on Mayotte in the Comoro Islands since 1846-1848. Hiern (1873) based his description of D. comorensis on Boivin s.n. from Mayotte in the Comoro Islands, for which the only known specimen, deposited at W [W0007071], bears an annotation with his handwriting indicating that he considered this entity to be a new species. Comprehensive examination of all material of Diospyros at P failed to reveal any additional material belonging to this gathering.While the sheet at W could be regarded as the holotype, we have chosen to designate it as the lectotype of D. comorensis since there may be a misplaced sheet at P.
Diospyros ankifiensis is here placed into synonymy under D. comorensis. Both of the original syntypes of D. ankifiensis (Boivin s.n. from Nossi Be and Perrier de la Bâthie 18751 from Ambohipiraka) conform vegetatively to the type of D. comorensis, while Boivin s.n. also exhibits identical male cymose inflorescences.
description: Published as part of Schatz, George E. & Lowry II, Porter P., 2020, Taxonomic studies of Diospyros L. (Ebenaceae) from the Malagasy region. IV. Synoptic revision of the Squamosa group in Madagascar and the Comoro Islands, pp. 201-218 in Adansonia (3) (3) 42 (9) on pages 210-211, DOI: 10.5252/adansonia2020v42a10, http://zenodo.org/record/3953000