| Coccothrinax jimenezii | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Clade: | Commelinids |
| Order: | Arecales |
| Family: | Arecaceae |
| Genus: | Coccothrinax |
| Species: | C. jimenezii |
| Binomial name | |
| Coccothrinax jimenezii | |
Coccothrinax jimenezii is a fan palm which is endemic to the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean. First formally described in 2013, the species is only known from two small populations, and is considered critically endangered. [2]
A slender palm, Coccothrinax jimenezii can grow to be 5 metres (16 ft) high. Its leaves have sheathing leaf bases which wrap around the stem. These leaf sheaths are 11–13 centimetres (4.3–5.1 in) and lack spines. The petiole length can range from 20 to 42 centimetres (7.9 to 16.5 in), but is usually 33 to 34 centimetres (13.0 to 13.4 in) long. The leaf leaves are palmately compound, is made up of 21–28 leaf segments which are 24–33 centimetres (9.4–13.0 in) long and 1–2 centimetres (0.39–0.79 in) wide and covered with whitish hairs. The entire leaf is 51–77 centimetres (20–30 in) long. [2]
Coccothrinax has a circum-Caribbean distribution, with most of its diversity in species endemic to the islands of Cuba and Hispaniola. The genus is considered "taxonomically difficult", and in need of a complete taxonomic treatment. Of the 39 accepted species of Coccothrinax in Cuba, 38 are endemic to the island; one species, C. fragrans is also found on the island of Hispaniola. [3] Coccothrinax jimenezii was formally described in 2013 based on specimens collected by Dominican botanists Ricardo García & Milcíades Mejía in 2010, and named in honour of Dominican botanist Francisco Jiménez Rodríguez. [4]
Based on DNA microsatellite markers the Haitian and Dominican populations appear to be sufficiently different that Brett Jestrow and colleagues recommended that the two populations should be managed separately for conservation purposes, and that individuals should not be transferred from one population to the other. [5]
C. jimenezii is known from two sites – on the shore of Lago Enriquillo in the Dominican Republic and near the Baie des Gonaïves, near Gonaïves, Haiti. As of 2015 the Dominican population consisted of 16 adults and two juveniles, while the Haitian population consisted of 43 individuals, most of which were juveniles. [2]
Only two populations of C. jimenezii are known, and neither of them are considered secure. The population in the Dominican Republic lies within a protected area – Parque Nacional Lago Enriquillo e Isla Cabrito – the level of this hypersaline lake has been rising, and the population is at risk of inundation. [2] [3]
García and Mejía did not assign a conservation status to the species in their description because they did not know the status of the population in Haiti beyond a single collection from 1985. [2] An expedition organised to find additional individuals in Haiti located a second population. [6] The Haitian population is not protected, and the leaves are heavily harvested to make brooms; Brígido Peguero and colleagues found only one individual in the Haitian population with a full set of mature leaves. [2] Based on these findings, C. jimenezii was classified as critically endangered by Jestrow and colleagues in 2015. [3]
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Ridgway's hawk is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae endemic to the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean. It is classified as Critically Endangered because of habitat destruction and human persecution in the Dominican Republic; however, due to conservation efforts, the population is now increasing.
Pedernales is the southernmost province of the Dominican Republic, including the offshore island of Isla Beata. It was split from Barahona in 1957. Of its 2,074.53 km2, 1,374 km2 belongs to the Jaragua National Park. A third of its population is of Haitian origin, the highest ratio within the country.
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Lake Enriquillo is a hypersaline lake in the Dominican Republic located in the southwestern region of the country. Its waters are shared between the provinces of Bahoruco and Independencia, the latter of which borders Haiti. Lake Enriquillo is the largest lake in both the Dominican Republic and Hispaniola, as well as the entire Caribbean. It is also the lowest point for an island country.
Coccothrinax argentata, commonly called the Florida silver palm, is a species of palm tree. It is native to south Florida, southeast Mexico, Colombia and to the West Indies, where it is found in the Bahamas, the southwest Caribbean and the Turks and Caicos Islands. Its natural habitat is rocky, calcareous soil in coastal scrubland and hammock communities.
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Cyclura ricordii, also known as Ricord's ground iguana or Ricord's rock iguana, is an endangered species of medium-sized rock iguana, a large herbivorous lizard. It is endemic to the island of Hispaniola. It is known to coexist with the nominate subspecies of the rhinoceros iguana ; the two species are the only taxa of rock iguana to do so. The natural habitats of its three subpopulations are hot, dry, wooded savanna on limestone with access to soil and sandy flats in southern Hispaniola. It is threatened by predation by introduced predators and habitat loss, due to overgrazing and charcoal manufacture.
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Alan W. Meerow is an American botanist, born in New York City in 1952. He specializes in the taxonomy of the family Amaryllidaceae and the horticulture of palms and tropical ornamental plants. He also works on the population genetics and molecular systematics of cycads and palms.
The wildlife of Haiti is important to the country because of its biodiversity. According to the World Conservation Monitoring Centre, Haiti is considered to be "one of the most biologically significant countries of the West Indies". With an estimated 5,600 plant species on the island of Hispaniola, some of which only occur in Haiti, 36% are considered as endemic to the island. A mountainous area country, it is situated in the western three-eighths of Hispaniola and shares a border with the Dominican Republic. There are nine life zones, from low desert to high cloud forests, as well as four mountain ranges, and hundreds of rivers and streams and the coral reefs in the seas that surround the islands. Issues of environmental damage, expanding population, deforesting and erosion are of concern; less than 2% of the original forest remains on account of deforestation. This degradation is traced from the 17th century to 19th century starting with the French colonization of the Haiti and population explosion during the 20th century and for the purpose of forestry and sugar-related industries, degraded the forests. and the environment.
Garciadelia is a plant genus of the family Euphorbiaceae first described as a genus in 2010. The entire genus is endemic to the Island of Hispaniola in the West Indies (divided between Haiti and the Dominican Republic. It is a member of the Leucocroton alliance, which also includes Leucocroton and Lasiocroton. Species in this alliance are dioecious.
Coccothrinax spirituana is a fan palm which is palm endemic to central Cuba. Populations have been found in Sancti Spíritus and Ciego de Ávila provinces. Its leaves are ash-grey in colour on their upper and lower surfaces, a characteristic which is not found in other members of the genus. The species was described in 2017. Specimens of the palm were collected in Sancti Spíritus Province in 1975 and 1995.
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