Melastomataceae in coastal formation of restinga in Para, Brazil

Sandy coastal vegetation ("restinga") is composed by a complex of plant communities occurring on quaternary plains under marine influence. The Brazilian Amazon biome is the second richest in Melastomataceae in the country. This family is represented by 47 genera and 487 species. This study aimed to know the diversity of Melastomataceae in different vegetations in the landscape of coastal marshes. The survey was conducted in the herbaria IAN (Herbario da Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisas Agropecuarias) and MG (Herbario do Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi), and field work in the cities of Braganca, Maracana and Marapanim, all of them in the North Brazilian State of Para. A taxonomic treatment with descriptions, illustrations, geographical data, identification key for the recognition of species and comments on morphological characteristics are presented. The family is represented in sandy coastal of Para by the following species: Acisanthera bivalvis, A. crassipes, Comolia villosa, Miconia alata, Mouriri brachyantera, M. guianensis, Nepsera aquatica, Pterolepis trichotoma, Rhynchanthera serrulata, and Tibouchina aspera. These species occur mainly in herbaceous marshes, dunes, fields between dunes, open shrubby fields, and sandy coastal forests. Miconia alata is a new record for the sandy coastal environment in Para. The study revealed that the sandy coastal vegetation of the municipalities Maracana and Marapanim concentrate 80% of the studied species. In this study we recognize that none of these species can be characterized as endemic, as they are all found in other ecosystems or vegetation formations in Brazil.Original Abstract: Restingas sao ambientes constituidos de um complexo de comunidades de plantas ocorrendo sobre planicies arenosas costeiras quaternarias de influencia marinha. A Amazonia brasileira e o segundo bioma de maior riqueza de Melastomataceae no pais, qual esta representado por 47 generos e 487 especies. O presente trabaiho objetivou conhecer a diversidade de Melastomataceae nas diferentes formacoes vegetacionais que compoem a paisagem das restingas no Para. Foi realizado levantamento de colecoes herborizadas nos herbarios IAN (Herbario da Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisas Agropecuarias) e MG (Herbario do Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi), e coletas nos municipios de Braganca, Maracana e Marapanim. Apresenta-se o tratamento taxonomico com descricoes, ilustracoes, dados de distribuicao geografica, chave de identificacao para as especies e comentarios so