A new nothogenus and nothospecies in the Zygopetalinae (Orchidaceae), with a note on euglossine pollination in the subtribe

Abstract

Natural hybridization in Neotropical orchids is summarized, and the frequency of notho genera in the subtribe Zygopetalinae is highlighted. A new nothogenus discovered in Costa Rica, formed by the cross between species of Benzingia and Chondroscaphe, is described, and the new nothospecies ×Benzoscaphe stelleri is described and illustrated. Putative parents, as well as their derivative hybrid, are compared through composite digital plates. Cues are offered about the pollination mechanisms of the putative parents, based on the morphology of the flowers and pollinaria, which possibly led to the formation of the natural cross between different genera.