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New Species of Rafflesia Found in the Philippines
Todd Barkman, a leading expert in Rafflesia response to Media questions
New Species of Rafflesia Found in the Philippines
To download a PDF version of this media release, click here.
Announcement by the Philippines Spotted Deer Conservation Foundation of the discovery and description of a new Rafflesia species.
A new species of the iconic South-East Asian genus, Rafflesia has been discovered on the Philippines island of Panay.
Melbourne (Australia) based conservation biologist, Renee Galang, first observed the unusual rafflesia in its native state during a Spotted Deer expedition on the island from 8th to the 15th of April 2005.
"I knew (it) right away that it is probably not the same species as the speciosa, (Rafflesia speciosa), because it is only about twenty centimetres in diameter, whereas the speciosa is fifty-six centimetres in diameter”, said Mr Galang.
The plant, whose proposed botanical name is Rafflesia lobata, is described for the first time in the latest edition of the esteemed botanical journal, Folia Malaysiana (Dec 2006).However, even before its existence is widely known, its habitat is potentially under threat.
Conservationists in the Philippines are concerned for the plant's continued existence in light of increasing pressure to develop mineral resources on Panay and other islands of similar geology. The specific mountainous region where the Rafflesia is found contains significant deposits of the valuable mineral, basalt. Mr. Galang is concerned that the seven currently known separate populations of this new species might be wiped out before scientists have had a chance to study them.
"I don’t think the people in Panay know anything about this species of Rafflesia”, he said, “because the guides and porters who were part of my team have not seen or recognised this Rafflesia at all.”
Todd Barkman, a senior phylogeneticist from Western Michigan University, is an expert in rafflesia genetics. "The discovery of the new rafflesia species is highly significant because it shows that even large, showy plants like this one remain to be discovered," he said.
"This plant is very morphologically distinct from all other known species due to the formation of a second set of lobes for which it is named. All other Rafflesia species only have one set of lobes that comprise the "petals". Furthermore, R. lobata differs from all other known species of Rafflesia in its DNA sequence, although it is definitely related to other Philippine species like R. manillana and R. speciosa." Mr. Barkman claimed.
“It looks very similar to Rafflesia manillana.” added Mr Galang, “Same size, colouration are identical but Rafflesia manillana only exist in Leyte Island and Luzon, not in Panay.”
“The difference between Rafflesia manillana and Rafflesia lobata (which is what we have named this rafflesia) is the lobes on the diaphragm”, said Mr Galang. “Which is quite unusual because all other Rafflesia species (don’t) have a lobed diaphragm, they’re all in-curved but this one is out-curved and it’s got five shallow lobes.” The word “lobata” is latin for lobe.
In May of 2006 the Mayor's office in the Panay municipality of Sebaste was approached by the Glendale Mining and Development Corporation, seeking approval to mine basalt in the municipality.
The ‘strip-mining’ techniques used to recover basalt are incompatible with the Rafflesia’s habitat. "What makes Rafflesia species particularly vulnerable is that they rely on their host plants for survival,” says Todd Barkman. “Therefore, if the host species go extinct due to habitat destruction, so will Rafflesia."
The island of Panay is home to many unique plant and animal species such as the Spotted Deer, Writhed-billed Hornbill, Tarictic Hornbill, Visayan Warty Pig, and a recently described monitor lizard,” says Mr Barkman. “Most tropical organisms like the Rafflesia species are very specific about where they grow. Without the appropriate habitat, there can be no Rafflesia species."
As director of the Philippines Spotted Deer Conservation Foundation, Philippine-born Australian, Renee Galang first became interested in the Rafflesia species as part of his ongoing involvement with conservation on Panay Island.
At the time of the discovery his journal noted:
“along “Maslod” riverside where I have video-taped Mt Igtuog, we started walking up and suddenly we saw a group of Rafflesia flowers….5.5 cm young buds growing off vine, wide open flower just less than 20 cm. NB: petals coils down. It is a vine species that produce single flower along the vine.” Mr Galang immediately made a video recording before continuing on the walk.
This is the second species of Rafflesia found on Panay Island. The first one, Rafflesia speciosa was described in 2002. The other Philippine species are Rafflesia manillana, described in 1844; Rafflesia schadenbergiana, described in 1885; Rafflesia mira (Mindanao island), described in 2005, and; Rafflesia beletei (southern Luzon), described in 2006.
Contact information: Renee Galang, +61 (0)422 875 801, renee@rafflesialobata.org
Further information and resources:
EPK Available on DVD in Play-Only format or as video files (PAL and NTSC)
Websites and Links
www.rafflesialobata.org (PSDCF Rafflesia)
www.tiny.cc/MichUniRafflesia
www.tiny.cc/RafflesiaInfoSite (Sthn Illinois Uni)
www.foliamy.com.my (Folia Malaysiana)
www.tiny.cc/SpeciosaInfo (Discovery of Speciosa) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rafflesia
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Todd Barkman, a leading expert in Rafflesia response to Media questions
Todd Barkman is a senior phylogeneticist from Western Michigan University
Q. How confident are you that this particular plant, the Rafflesia lobata, is a new species and not just a variant of the Rafflesia manillana?
A. I am very confident that Rafflesia lobata is a new species because it is very morphologically distinct from all other known species due to the formation of a second set of lobes for which it is named. All other Rafflesia species only have one set of lobes that comprise the "petals". Furthermore, R. lobata differs from all other known species of Rafflesia in its DNA sequence, although it is definitely related to other Philippine species like R. manillana and R. speciosa.
Q. How significant is this discovery to the botanical world?
A. The discovery of the Rafflesia lobata is highly significant because it shows us that even large, showy flowers like Rafflesia lobata remain to be discovered. This species is particularly surprising because we are not talking about a tiny obscure plant species that would require a microscope to identify. If you weren't watching where you were walking you could literally trip over this species!
Q. How significant is this discovery to the Philippines and to the Philippine island of Panay?
A. The island of Panay is home to many unique plant and animal species such as the Spotted Deer, Writhed-billed Hornbill, Tarictic Hornbill, Visayan Warty Pig, and a recently described monitor lizard. Like the previously mentioned charismatic megafauna, Rafflesia is a large showy species that is indicative of the island’s diversity, yet is in danger of going extinct. Most tropical organisms like Rafflesia species are very specific about where they grow. Without the appropriate habitat, there can be no Rafflesia species and the same is true for other beloved species like the orangutan and sumatran rhino. What makes Rafflesia species particularly vulnerable is that they rely on their host plants for survival. Therefore, if the host species go extinct due to habitat destruction, so will Rafflesia.
Q. What kind of tourism activities would be suitable in areas where rare and threatened species exist?
A. The type of tourism activities appropriate for the flora and fauna of Panay Island would be small scale walking tours or ‘ecotourism’, as it is known. Ecotourism is very successful in parts of Malaysia. In fact, Rafflesia species play a big role in attracting tourists to travel in Malaysia because many people want to behold the world's largest flower. The good part about this demand is that local land-owners now realize that it can be profitable to preserve sites where Rafflesia grows because people will pay to behold its beauty and mystique. However, people need to exercise caution because Rafflesia cannot be transplanted or disturbed because the species seem to suffer when disturbed even slightly.
Q. Some might say that even small-scale tourism might be too damaging to this delicate environment. Do you think tourism on an area where rare and threatened species exist is sustainable?
A. Yes, I believe carefully monitored, small-scale ecotourism is sustainable with the environment on Panay Island. This could bring profit to the locals as well as the region at large.
Q. What other threats are you aware of that may endanger the proposed “Critical Habitat”?
A. I understand that a large-scale open-cut basalt mining operation has been proposed for the exact area where Rafflesia lobata, spotted deer and other species exist. This could have a disastrous effect on the biodiversity currently found there. Not only do the organisms living in this region possess yet-to-be-discovered cures for many diseases, many are found nowhere but in the Philippines. Therefore, there can be nothing that Philippine citizens should be more proud of.
Q. In your opinion, exactly how would basalt mining affect the habitat on Panay Island?
A. Basalt mining on Panay Island would be disastrous because mining results in deforestation of the vegetation growing in particular regions. Much of the existing vegetation in tropical regions took 100's of years to develop yet it can be destroyed in a matter of days. Following deforestation, mining often results in pollution of waterways either due directly to the formation of tailings or by massive erosion that follows the removal of original vegetation from an area.
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