Macaranga novoguineensis is a species of tree in the Euphorbiaceae family. It is native to New Britain and New Guinea. It is a late succession plant, and supports a variety of insect herbivores, including caterpillars from the moth Homona mermerodes.
| Macaranga novoguineensis | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Malpighiales |
| Family: | Euphorbiaceae |
| Genus: | Macaranga |
| Species: | M. novoguineensis
|
| Binomial name | |
| Macaranga novoguineensis | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
Distribution
editThis species is only found in New Britain and New Guinea.[1] Countries in which it occurs are Papua Niugini (PNG) and Indonesia.
Habitat and ecology
editThe species is a late succession plant, most common in primary forest, but also in old secondary growth.[2] In primary and old secondary forest plots examined in Madang Province, PNG, this tree was co-dominant along with Pimelodendron sp., Ficus bernaysii, Ficus phaeosyce and Ficus wassa. This species, along with other Macaranga species, were more palatable (had more insects feeding on them) than Ficus species, and this tree was unusual amongst late succession plants in having a wide range of herbivores hosted.
The plant is a host for a variety of insect herbivores, that include adult and larvae leaf-chewers and leaf-miners.[3] The caterpillars of the moth Homona mermerodes eat M. novoguineensis.[4]
History
editThis species was first described by the Nederlander botanist Johannes Jacobus Smith (1867-1947),[5] who spent 33 year in Jawa, the last 11 years of which was as curator of the then Buitenzorg Botanical Gardens (now Bogor B.G.). Smith primarily worked on orchids, but described many other plants, including Euphorbiaceae. His description of M. novoguineensis was in 1912 in the publication Nova Guinea; a Journal of Botany, Zoology, Anthropology, Ethnography, Geology and Palaeontology of the Papuan Region (Leiden).
Further reading
edit- Govaerts, Frodin, & Radcliffe-Smith, 2000, World Checklist and Bibliography of Euphorbiaceae (and Pandaceae)
References
edit- ^ a b "Macaranga novoguineensis J.J.Sm". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
- ^ Leps, Jan; Novotny, Vojtech; Basset, Yves (2001). "Habitat and successional status of plants in relation to the communities of their leaf-chewing herbivores in Papua New Guinea". Journal of Ecology. 89 (2): 186–199. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2745.2001.00540.x.
- ^ Novotny, Vojtech; with 14 others. "Guild-specific patterns of host specialization in tropical forest insects" (PDF). Retrieved 10 March 2021.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)[dead link] - ^ Hulcr, Jiri; with six others (2007). "DNA barcoding confirms polyphagy in a generalist moth, Homona mermerodes (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae)". Molecular Ecology Notes. 7 (4): 549–557. doi:10.1111/j.1471-8286.2007.01786.x.
- ^ "Macaranga novoguineensis J.J.Sm., Nova Guinea 8: 789 (1912)". International Plant Name Index (IPNI). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 10 March 2021.