A New Species of Telipogon (Orchidaceae) from Mexico and its Phylogenetic Position Among Mesoamerican Species

Telipogon is a Neotropical genus with approximately 200 species, the majority of which are epiphytes and are distributed in South America; Mexico is the northernmost area of distribution with only two recorded species. Here we describe a third species, Telipogon corticatus, collected in cloud forests of eastern Mexico, in Veracruz. It is a species growing solely in mossy patches in the exfoliating bark of trees of Oreomunnea Mexicana (Juglandaceae). Reddish-brown flowers, large sepals close to each other in the open flowers, two thirds of the length of the lip, elliptic petals, large auricles of column with long hairs and a wide apex, a sagittate lip separated from the column with a base with a sinus, and a curved anther are diagnostic characters for this species. The phylogenetic position of T. corticatus with Mesoamerican species was identified based on ITS and the plastid matK, atpB-rbcL DNA markers considering representative taxa in subtribe Oncidiinae to which Telipogon belongs. Telipogon corticatus, together with the Mesoamerican T. helleri and T. cobanenis, were retrieved as closely related, and associated to clades consisting of Central American species.