Re: Introduction

Barry Meyers-Rice (barry@as.arizona.edu)
Thu, 14 Oct 93 09:24:33 MST

I have just gotten in the mail a reprint of a description of a
new Utric species,
"_U. beaugleholei, a New Species from South-Eastern Australia" by
Robert Gassin. My copy of this paper is from a preprint, and while it
was submitted 25 June 1992, I don't know what journal is carrying it.

This new species is very closely allied with _U.dichotoma_, the
major differences being in the proximal palate ridges, corolla
pubescence, upper corolla lip size and morphology, and also perhaps
leaf apex and trap appendage morphology. Not knowing these two species
in the wild at all, my conclusions are limited. But I get the impression
that whether or not you recognize this species as distinct from
_U.dichotoma_ depends on whether or not you are a lumper or splitter.
Taylor examined specimens of _U.beaugleholei_ before he finished his
monograph and lumped them with _U.dichotoma_

Summarizing Gassin's paper (he doesn't include a binary key), erhaps
a very quick and dirty discriminant between the two would be...

Upper corolla lip extends only a few mm beyond upper calyx lobe, and
is flat. Apex is entire or somewhat emarginate..........._U.dichotoma_

Upper corolla lip extends several mm beyond upper calyx lobe, and is
laterally curled more than 90 degrees. Apex is emarginate to clearly
bilobed.................................................._U.beaugleholei_

Bazza