Taxonomic treatment of Abrahamia Randrian. & Lowry, a new genus of Anacardiaceae from Madagascar
Year: 2026
Type: dataset
Abstract: T
he Malagasy endemic genus
Abrahamia
Randrian. & Lowry
(Anacardiaceae)
is
described and a taxonomic revision is presented in which 34 species are recog-
nized, including 19 that are described as new. The previously known taxa from Mad-
agascar have historically been treated in the genus
Protorhus
Engl. along with the type
species from southern Africa,
Protorhus longifolia
(Bernh.) Engl. However, recent mor
-
phological and molecular phylogenetic studies have shown that the African species is
more closely related to
Ozoroa
Delile and the Malagasy taxa comprise a distinct clade.
Therefore the Malagasy taxa could no longer be accommodated in
Protorhus
, necessi-
tating the description a new genus, described as
Abrahamia
. In the present revision,
species of
Abrahamia
are recognized and distinguished from one another on the basis of
morphological characters, primarily of the leaves, inflorescences, flowers and fruits, in
combination with eco-geographic features. A total of 15 new combinations are made for
taxa from Madagascar previously placed in
Protorhus
, and lectotypes are designated for
11 names. A key to the species is provide in English and French, and a full description
is presented for each species, along with a list of material examined and a distribution
map; an illustration is also included for each of the new species. Preliminary conserva-
tion assessments following the IUCN Red List criteria indicate that 17 species, repre-
senting 50% of the total, are threatened, of which 5 are considered “Endangered” [EN]
and 12 “Vulnerable” [VU]
Source: The Catalogue of Life
DOI: 10.48580/d47bg
Language: English
Subfield: Molecular Biology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2796498859