Piper kelleyi, a hotspot of ecological interactions and a new species from Ecuador and Peru

By

Tepe, Eric J.
Rodríguez-Castañeda, Genoveva
Glassmire, Andrea
Dyer, Lee A.

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2014

Original Publication

PhytoKeys

Volume

34

Pages

19-32

Subjects

Andes , Braconidae , Ecuador , Eois , Geometridae , herbivore-parasitoid interactions , Piper section Macrostachys , Piperaceae , plant-herbivore interactions , Tachinidae

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers [2010]-

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.34.6376

 

Abstract

We describe Piper kelleyi sp. nov., a new species from the eastern Andes of Ecuador and Peru, named in honor of Dr. Walter Almond Kelley. Piper kelleyi is a member of the Macrostachys clade of the genus Piper and supports a rich community of generalist and specialist herbivores, their predators and parasitoids, as well as commensalistic earwigs, and mutualistic ants. This new species was recognized as part of an ecological study of phytochemically mediated relationships between plants, herbivores, predators, and parasitoids. Compared to over 100 other Piper species surveyed, Piper kelleyi supports the largest community of specialist herbivores and parasitoids observed to date.