Serra do Padre Ângelo, a quartzitic mountain complex in the Doce River valley, eastern Minas Gerais state in south-east Brazil, has recently attracted the attention of biologists as a result of the discovery of several new plant and animal species, many of them endemic to these mountains. These discoveries have mainly followed the description of the sundew Drosera magnifica (Droseraceae)—discovered through photographs posted on the social network Facebook—from these mountains. It is the largest sundew in the Americas, endemic to Serra do Padre Ângelo and categorized nationally as Critically Endangered (Gonella et al., 2015, Phytotaxa, 220, 257–267). These mountains nevertheless remain unprotected and are susceptible to wildfires and deforestation.
In the last 3 years, data have been collected to support the formal protection of Serra do Padre Ângelo, with > 4,000 plant specimens collected. Among these was a tiny plant of the family Eriocaulaceae, collected for the first time in June 2020. In May 2023 we identified it as Paepalanthus minimus after comparison with the type specimen in the herbarium of the National Museum, Rio de Janeiro. The species had previously been collected only once, over 100 years ago and nearly 250 km from the new record.
Serra do Padre Ângelo, in the Doce River valley, eastern Minas Gerais state in south-east Brazil, and the tiny Paepalanthus minimus.
We assess the species as Critically Endangered, as it is likely to be locally extinct in the site where the type specimen was collected and, at the rediscovery site, the population is small, unprotected, and threatened by invasive grasses and wildfires. Our assessment will be submitted to the Brazil Plant Red List Authority, coordinated by the Centro Nacional de Conservação da Flora. Species surveys are fundamental for collecting data for conservation, especially in regions overlooked historically, such as Serra do Padre Ângelo. The rediscovery of this species in the area highlights the urgent need to protect this mountain complex. Areas such as Serra do Padre Ângelo play a critical role as refuges for threatened and endemic taxa. As natural and pristine areas in the country are rare and mostly confined to protected areas, the identification of such refugia further highlights the importance of conservation efforts.
We thank Nílber Silva, curator of the National Museum Herbarium, for aiding with the study of the type specimen, and The Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund (projects 192522325 and 212527281) for supporting fieldwork.
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