A project undertaken at The Museum of New Zealand, Te Papa Tongarewa, and supervised by Dr Carlos Lehnebach
This project aimed to solve the uncertainty around the taxonomic status of a group of terrestrial orchids endemic to New Zealand known only by tag-names (nicknames). Although the morphological distinctiveness of some of these orchids has been acknowledged for decades their taxonomic status has never been investigated or resolved.
Clarifying the taxonomic status of these entities will not only advance our knowledge of New Zealand orchid biodiversity but also will help conservation agencies with decision making regarding the management of these orchids and prioritising conservation actions. This is very important as taxonomic uncertainty often leads to unnecessary conservation efforts and the ineffective use of resources.
Our study has combined the use of historical herbarium specimens, field collections and DNA Next Generation Sequencing techniques to investigate species boundaries and diversification within orchids in the genera Corybas, Microtis, Prasophyllum, Pterostylis and Thelymitra.
Our data support the recognition of five new species of Corybas and one of Prasophyllum. Recognition of these new species has required the study of historical specimens and the selection of lectotypes and neotypes (herbarium specimens to which names are fixed to).
Research on Thelymitra (sun orchids) is underway and further results are expected during this year. Preliminary results so far suggest hybridisation and genome duplication are involved in the diversification of this orchid group in New Zealand.
We have gathered evidence that confirmed that previously taxonomically indetermined entities of greenhood orchid (Pterostylis) belonged to a rare but known species while another in the genus Thelymitra (sun orchids), and currently ranked as Data Deficient, is a hybrid. Our field collections have allowed us to extend the distribution range and population numbers of a taxon previously known only from a single locality. These new findings will likely reduce its threat status, currently Threatened- Nationally Critical.
Overall, this project has helped to document and describe the New Zealand orchid flora. It has provided data that will guide the conservation of threatened and rare orchid species, supported the training of the next generation of orchid taxonomist and conservation scientists, and helped promoting taxonomic research with the wider community.