[Aroid-l] Schismatoglottis species

From: botanist at malesiana.com (Peter Boyce) on 2008.06.20 at 21:39:11(17881) Dear Leland, There has been a bit of intensive study (mainly by our students here and also by Marc Gibernau when he visited us) and over the years I have made a considerable number of casual observations such that we are pretty much sure that rour groups of insects, three beetle families (Nitidulidae (flower beetles), Chrysomelidae (leaf beetles) and Staphylinidae (Rove beetles)) and one fly genus (Colocasiomyia - Drosophilidae) are the regular visitors. Very occasionally one or two species of Scarabidae turn up in the large inloresceneces of the Calyptrata group. Fruit set in habitat is abundant (seemingly close on 100%) but there is a fair degree of fruit predation in some species such that I would estimate that fruit reaching maturity is probably less than 60%. Another area with very little data is that of fruit dispersal. On the rare occasion I have seen dispersing fruits it woulk appear that ants are the main vector, seemingly attracted to the slightly sweet fruit and carrying the fruits (which detach from the spadix axis at maturity and cohere in loose masses inside the lower spathe, which opens by a few irregular splits. At the nursery I watched numerous green tree ants (which paradoxically are red in Sarawak but no less pugnacious than their gren forms) collect fruit from a species (yet to be described) in the asperata complex and carry them to thier arboreal nest. Best Peter +More ----- Original Message ----- From: "brian lee" To: "Discussion of aroids" Sent: Wednesday, June 18, 2008 2:18 AM Subject: Re: [Aroid-l] Schismatoglottis species > Dear Peter, > > Aloha. > > Again wonderful detail to accompany your replies. I did not see any attached image of Schismatoglottis corneri... I had no idea that some of these species attained these dimensions. My slim knowledge of the genus centered around small species. Those species I have seen are highly ornamental, but quite rare, at least in Hawaii. > > I am really enjoying the ecological details that you are supplying, especially if these species become available in the future. Do you know the specific pollinators or group of pollinators that are involved in Schismatoglottis? Is fruit set common in habitat? > > Aloha, > > Leland > > > > > --- On Mon, 6/16/08, Peter Boyce wrote: > >> From: Peter Boyce >> Subject: Re: [Aroid-l] Schismatoglottis species >> To: "Discussion of aroids" >> Date: Monday, June 16, 2008, 8:23 PM >> Dear Michael, >> >> Schismatoglottis corneri is so far known from western Sabah >> and the Anambas islands. In Sabah it is particularly notable >> as an often abundant roadside element on the road ascent >> from KK to Poring, especially as the road rises to cross >> the saddle below Poring. Interestingly while in Mulu last >> year we encountered a very small colony of what we think >> may be the same species near the mouth of the Melinau >> Gorge. The plants were sterile and have yet to flower in >> cultivation here in Kuching, although they are growing >> well. If this is S. corneri then it will be a new recprd >> for Sarawa; alternatively it may tun out to be a new >> species. This latter option would come as no great surprise >> since the overwhelming majority of the herbaceous aroids at >> Mulu are endemic. Whatever its eventual confirmed identity >> I attach an image of one of the medium-sized plants if the >> Mulu colony with Jipom (who stands 1.75) for comparison. >> >> I am not at all familiar with the neotropical >> 'Schismatoglottis', having onl seen S. sprucena in >> the field. However, the molecular exidence is that thay do >> not belong in Schismatoglottis; there is an alternative >> generic name for at least some of the neotropical species: >> Philonotion published in the 1850s >> >> Very best >> >> Peter >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: RAYMOMATTLA at cs.com >> To: aroid-l at gizmoworks.com >> Sent: Tuesday, June 17, 2008 7:45 AM >> Subject: Re: [Aroid-l] Schismatoglottis species >> >> >> Wow Peter, >> I'll be waiting to see a picture of the one with >> leaves that can get over 3m tall, (S. cornei.) Is that >> species from Sarawak as well? Are you familiar with the >> very few species of Schismatoglottis from the Neotropics >> and if so do you think they will ever be given their own >> genus? That might be a question for Eduardo too... >> >> Michael Mattlage >> >> >> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Aroid-L mailing list >> Aroid-L at www.gizmoworks.com >> >> http://www.gizmoworks.com/mailman/listinfo/aroid-l_______________________________________________ >> Aroid-L mailing list >> Aroid-L at www.gizmoworks.com >> http://www.gizmoworks.com/mailman/listinfo/aroid-l > > > > _______________________________________________ > Aroid-L mailing list > Aroid-L at www.gizmoworks.com > http://www.gizmoworks.com/mailman/listinfo/aroid-l > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.gizmoworks.com/mailman/private/aroid-l/attachments/20080621/8d4030ad/attachment.htm

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