Microendemism, high diversity and taxonomic novelties in Bromeliaceae: Studies from an Atlantic Forest hotspot in Bahia, Brazil

This work presents a checklist of the Bromeliaceae in Serra do Conduru State Park (PESC), in the Atlantic Forest of the state of Bahia, Brazil, including data on their growth habit, endemism and conservation status. We also describe and illustrate a new species, Aechmea urussucensis, that is endemic to the area studied and classified by us as critically endangered. The data were collected through field expeditions, analysis of herbarium material and review of the specialized literature. We found 70 species of Bromeliaceae distributed in 20 genera of the subfamilies Bromelioideae (48 spp.) and Tillandsioideae (22 spp.). The diversity of Bromeliaceae in the PESC is the greatest recorded to date in a conservation unit or forest fragment in Brazil. The species studied have a variety of life forms, with 52 spp. being exclusively epiphytic, 7 terrestrial and 11 species occurring in either of these forms. With regard to conservation status, four species are classified as critically endangered, nine as endangered and seven as vulnerable according to the IUCN criteria. In relation to endemism, 33 species are endemic to Bahia (47%), more specifically 31 spp. to the southern region of the state, and three species are microendemic (Aechmea urussucensis, Lymania languida and Wittmackia conduruensis) so far only observed within the PESC. Our results demonstrate that the southern region of Bahia has high diversity in comparison with other regions of the state and also of Brazil. These findings also reveal the scientific value of the PESC and the need for further research conservation and efforts of this region.