Background:

Gonolobus is a morphologically diverse genus with 38 species in Mexico. During the development of an inventory of the Gonolobinae at the national level, some herbarium specimens of Gonolobus were encountered that couldn’t be assigned to any of the previously described species for Mexico

Questions and/or hypotheses:

The color and morphologic pattern of the corolla (form, reticulation, callus on the margin of the lobes), and the structure of gynostegial corona are elements that allow distinguishing from other Gonolobus species. Here, it is proposed as a new species based on these attributes.

Species study:

Apocynaceae, Gonolobus lozadae.

Study site and dates:

Mexico.

Methods:

A bibliographic search was carried out and specimens from 11 herbaria were consulted for Gonolobus species in Mexico. An analysis of the characters that allow differentiating the new taxon from the other species was carried out. Conservation status for the new species was evaluated according to International Union for Conservation of Nature criteria.

Results:

From the analysis, Gonolobus lozadae is described as a new species.

Conclusions:

Gonolobus lozadae is morphologically similar to G. erianthus, G. grandiflorus, G. incerianus and G. triflorus in its size and color of the flowers, but it differs in the corolla and corona morphology. This discovery highlights Mexico as a center of diversity for the genus, with 39 species, and endemism with 48.7 % of the species restricted to the country.

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