Pedro Lage Viana / INMAPhilcoxia cachimboensis, new species of carnivorous plant found in the AmazonPedro Lage Viana / INMA
Plants of the genus Philcoxia have a hidden secret. Amidst the white sand of rupestrian grasslands, the thin stems, which can grow up to centimeters in height and bear delicate lilac flowers, look like a modest little weed. But they are not harmless. Hidden beneath a layer of sand, the rounded leaves, no more than 2 millimeters in diameter, secrete a sticky substance that captures and digests a profusion of tiny nematode worms. A new Amazonian species of the genus, which is more typical of the Cerrado and Caatinga biomes, has been discovered, dubbed P. cachimboensis. The carnivorous plants were collected by a botanical team from the Emílio Goeldi Museum of Pará during an expedition to the Cachimbo mountains, on the border between the states of Pará and Mato Grosso. Biologist Ray Lopes Neto, who made the discovery during research for his PhD at the Federal Rural University of the Amazon, was surprised to find the species there. The plant was only found in the neighboring municipalities of Novo Progresso and Altamira, with no precise information on the distance between them. An in-depth survey of the region is needed to assess abundance and range of the new species (Acta Amazonica, June).
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