A multivariate morphometric delimitation of species boundaries in the South American genus Nicoraepoa (Poaceae: Pooideae: Poeae)

Abstract

A multivariate morphometric study of the genus Nicoraepoa was carried out to examine patterns of morphological variation among the species and to identify additional characters to allow a clearer delimitation among species. Nicoraepoa is a taxonomically complex genus comprising seven species endemic to South America. Although most of the species are well delimited, two of them, N. andina and N. chonotica, are morphologically similar and very difficult to separate. The morphological variation among species, with overlapping morphological characters, pseudovivipary and possible hybridization make species boundaries unclear. In the present paper, sixty-seven characters were scored for a total of 216 specimens and analyzed using ordination, cluster and discriminant analyses. Based on multivariate results, we recognized species groups and morphological diagnostic characters that allow clearer species delimitation. As a result, N. chonotica has been transferred to N. andina as a subspecies that inhabit southern Patagonia. Other taxa could be recognized and delimited by diagnostic characters: N. erinacea, N. pugionifolia, N. stepparia, N. subenervis subsp. spegazziniana and N. subenervis subsp. subenervis. Moreover, we discuss the possibility that a new species from Bolivia, based on only one specimen, closely related to N. subenervis should be ascribed in Nicoraepoa.