Phylogenomics, morphological evolution, and taxonomic revision of Spirotropis, a newly delimited legume genus of ecologically dominant Amazonian tree species.

(Leguminosae, Papilionoideae) is a Neotropical genus of trees that has long remained circumscribed to just one species, . Evidence from previous molecular phylogenetic analyses of nuclear and plastid loci and morphological features supports expanding its circumscription to encompass species from the polyphyletic s.l. that are widely distributed in the Amazonian forests. Here, we reassess the evolutionary relationships of and s.l. based on a new plastome‐wide phylogenomic analysis of the genistoid legumes. The evolutionary histories of selected morphological characters were estimated through Bayesian stochastic mapping over a robust phylogeny of the Ormosieae clade in order to investigate synapomorphies that define an expanded concept of . The newly circumscribed genus was recovered as a well‐supported monophyletic group comprising five species: the type , three species added from s.str. ( , , ) and the newly described endemic to Venezuela. These species are represented by trees with fragrant flowers and spirally twisted keel petals that grow from tropical lowland rain forests, including seasonally flooded forests, to montane forests. In this study, we present identification keys for the Ormosieae genera and the species, in addition to full taxonomic descriptions, illustrations, maps of geographic distribution, and comments on the morphological distinctiveness, nomenclature, and ecology of each species.

Project(s)

Priority 4: Accelerated Taxonomy

Funder

Funder name	Awards
Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado da Bahia, Brazil	Ph.D. fellowship (process no. BOL0425/2017 - Universal no. APP0037/2016
Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, Brazil	Universal no. 422325/2018-0 - Research Productivity Fellowship no. 314187/2021-9
Fundação Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	JCNE - 2022 - Grant no. E-26/200.153/2023
Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, Brazil	Finance Code 001 - Postdoctoral fellowship
Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, Brazil / Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Amazonas, Brazil	DCR Fellowship (grant no. 01.02.016301.00757/2022-50)
Bentham-Moxon Trust, United Kingdom	B.A. Krukoff Fund for Neotropical Research