Systematics and taxonomy of Rudgea Salisb. (Psychotrieae, Rubiaceae)

Abstract

The present project aims to perform a cladistic analysis of the genus Rudgea (Rubiaceae) based in molecular data and also to carry through a synopsis for the genus, allied to an evolutionary analysis of its morphological characters. Rudgea is an exclusively neotropical genus, with ca. 100 species, distributed from Mexico until Argentina with two main centers of diversity, in Western portion of South America and in Southeast of Brazil. The species can be found mainly in the wet forests of Amazonia and in the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest. The phylogenetic study will be based in molecular data, which will use the two cpDNA regions, the trnl-trnf region and the rps-16 intron, plus the nuclear region ITS (ITS1, 5.8s and ITS2). The analysis will be carried out using maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood and bayesian analysis. Some morphological characters will be selected for a evolutionary analysis in the group aiming at the identification of possible morphological synapomorphies to delimit the genus and infrageneric groups. The synopses will be carried out with the study of collections from Brazilian and foreign herbaria and in material collected in the field. Besides a complete characterization of the genus, the synopses will also include a key for identification of the species, their actualized geographic distribution, list of synonymous, illustrations, descriptions of infrageneric groups and comments on habitats, possible economic applications and fenology of the species. (AU)