Mediterranean Subspecies versus Californian Varieties: An Example from Acmispon (Leguminosae, Loteae)

The tribe Loteae of the family Leguminosae has major centers of diversity in the Mediterranean Region and California. It is used here to illustrate different traditions of taxonomic interpretation of infraspecific variation among researchers in different continents. Recent accounts of European and M...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inTaxonomy (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 1; no. 3; pp. 226 - 233
Main Authors Sokoloff, Dmitry D., Akulova-Barlow, Zoya V., Govaerts, Rafaël
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Vienna MDPI AG 01.09.2021
Subjects
20th century
Coasts
Flowers & plants
hybridization
introgression
island endemism
Lotus
Morphology
nomenclature
North America
Ornithology
Taxonomy
Mexico
California
Baja California Mexico
United States > US
North America
Europe
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Summary:The tribe Loteae of the family Leguminosae has major centers of diversity in the Mediterranean Region and California. It is used here to illustrate different traditions of taxonomic interpretation of infraspecific variation among researchers in different continents. Recent accounts of European and Mediterranean taxa commonly make an emphasis on recognizing subspecies. In contrast, accounts of North American Loteae recognize all infraspecific taxa as varieties. Harmonization of taxonomic concepts across continents is essential for a more accurate representation of data in global biodiversity databases. It is reasonable to use the rank of subspecies for geographically defined infraspecific units with localized zones of intergradation. Such subspecies may be at least partially compatible across continents and taxonomic groups. In the present paper, we discuss taxa traditionally included in or associated with Acmispon glaber (Vogel) Brouillet (=Syrmatium glabrum Vogel) and demonstrate a need for recognizing three species, of which one has three geographically defined subspecies. Required nomenclatural combinations are proposed. It is proposed that subspecies rather than varieties should be recognized in a number of other species of North American Loteae (and other plant groups). Inland subspecies of Acmispon glaber and A. maritimus offer an opportunity for comparative analysis in an eco-evo-devo framework.
ISSN:2673-6500
2673-6500
DOI:10.3390/taxonomy1030016