Range extension and conservation status of the rare Solanaceae shrub, Solanum conocarpum

oleh: Sara Barrios, Omar Monsegur-Rivera, Thomas Heller, Natasha Harrigan, Keith Grant, Eleanor Gibney, Colin Clubbe, Martin Hamilton

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: Pensoft Publishers 2021-07-01

Deskripsi

Considered a rare endemic plant species of the island of St. John in the US Virgin Islands (USVI), Solanum conocarpum was recently discovered on Tortola (Hamilton et al. 2018, Heller et al. 2018), an island in the neighbouring territory of the British Virgin Islands (BVI). Despite this range expansion, the calculated extent of occurrence (EOO = 46 km2) and area of occupancy (AOO = 20 km2) are limited in size. On St John, the historically recorded individuals at Reef Bay, Europa Ridge and Sabbat Point are now considered extirpated. Additionally, despite the majority of the island of St. John being a National Park, suitable habitat for this species is experiencing a continuing decline due to grazing by feral ungulates and encroachment by invasive species (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 2019). On the island of Tortola, the known locality and species habitat occurs on unprotected lands subject to development and habitat modification and decline by feral ungulates. This species is evaluated as Endangered (EN), based on Criteria B1b(iii,v) + 2b(iii,v) + C2a(i), according to the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria (version 3.1) and guidelines (IUCN Standards and Petitions Committee 2019). Conservation action focused on protecting this species' habitat is urgent.In this paper we present new occurrences for S. conocarpum, extending its geographic range to a new island, Tortola, and to a new territory, the British Virgin Islands. We discuss the conservation status of this species, including population numbers, threats and conservation actions needed for its long-term survival.