''Macaranga novoguineensis'' is a species of
tree
In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...
in the
Euphorbiaceae
Euphorbiaceae, the spurge family, is a large family of flowering plants. In English, they are also commonly called euphorbias, which is also the name of a genus in the family. Most spurges, such as ''Euphorbia paralias'', are herbs, but some, e ...
family. It is native to
New Britain
New Britain ( tpi, Niu Briten) is the largest island in the Bismarck Archipelago, part of the Islands Region of Papua New Guinea. It is separated from New Guinea by a northwest corner of the Solomon Sea (or with an island hop of Umboi the Dam ...
and
New Guinea
New Guinea (; Hiri Motu
Hiri Motu, also known as Police Motu, Pidgin Motu, or just Hiri, is a language of Papua New Guinea, which is spoken in surrounding areas of Port Moresby (Capital of Papua New Guinea).
It is a simplified version of ...
. It is a late succession plant, and supports a variety of insect herbivores, including caterpillars from the moth ''
Homona mermerodes
''Homona mermerodes'' is a species of moth of the family Tortricidae first described by Edward Meyrick in 1910. It was described from the Solomon Islands, but is also found in Australia (Queensland), New Guinea and Seram. The habitat consists of ...
''.
Distribution
This species is only found in New Britain and New Guinea.
Countries in which it occurs are
Papua Niugini (PNG) and Indonesia.
Habitat and ecology
The species is a late succession plant, most common in primary forest, but also in old secondary growth.
In primary and old secondary forest plots examined in
Madang Province
Madang is a province of Papua New Guinea. The province is on the northern coast of mainland Papua New Guinea and has many of the country's highest peaks, active volcanoes and its biggest mix of languages. The capital is the town of Madang.
D ...
, PNG, this tree was co-dominant along with ''
Pimelodendron
''Pimelodendron'' is a plant genus in the family Euphorbiaceae first described as a genus in 1855. It is native to insular Southeast Asia, Thailand, Papuasia, and Queensland.Govaerts, R., Frodin, D.G. & Radcliffe-Smith, A. (2000). World Checklist ...
'' sp., ''
Ficus bernaysii
A tree in the Moraceae family, ''Ficus bernaysii'' is found from New Guinea to the Solomon Islands, growing in lowland rainforest. It is dioecious, and grows cauliflorous fruit. It is fed on by a wide range of animals.
Taxonomy
This species is ...
'', ''
Ficus phaeosyce
A tree in the Moraceae family, ''Ficus phaeosyce'' grows in eastern New Guinea, endemic to the nation of Papua Niugini. It is a shade tolerant understorey species, locally very abundant. A range of insect herbivores feed on the plant.
Taxonomy
...
'' and ''
Ficus wassa
''Ficus wassa'' is a species of fig in the family Moraceae found in Malesia.
References
wassa
The Wasa are Akan people who live predominantly in Ghana
Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country i ...
''. 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.
The caterpillars of the moth ''
Homona mermerodes
''Homona mermerodes'' is a species of moth of the family Tortricidae first described by Edward Meyrick in 1910. It was described from the Solomon Islands, but is also found in Australia (Queensland), New Guinea and Seram. The habitat consists of ...
'' eat ''M. novoguineensis''.
History
This species was first described by the Nederlander botanist
Johannes Jacobus Smith
Johannes Jacobus Smith (Antwerp 29 June 1867 – Oegstgeest 14 January 1947) (sometimes written as Joannes Jacobus Smith) was a Dutch botanist who, between years 1905 to 1924, crossed the islands of the Dutch East Indies (mainly Java), collecting ...
(1867-1947),
who spent 33 year in
Jawa, the last 11 years of which was as curator of the then
Buitenzorg Botanical Gardens
The Bogor Botanical Gardens ( id, Kebun Raya Bogor) is a botanical garden located in Bogor, Indonesia, 60 km south of central Jakarta. It is currently operated by Indonesian Institute of Sciences (Indonesian: ''Lembaga Ilmu Pengetahuan Indone ...
(now Bogor B.G.). Smith primarily worked on
orchids
Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant.
Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...
, but described many other plants, including
Euphorbiaceae
Euphorbiaceae, the spurge family, is a large family of flowering plants. In English, they are also commonly called euphorbias, which is also the name of a genus in the family. Most spurges, such as ''Euphorbia paralias'', are herbs, but some, e ...
. 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
*Govaerts, Frodin, & Radcliffe-Smith, 2000, ''World Checklist and Bibliography of Euphorbiaceae (and Pandaceae)''
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q15359162
novoguineensis
Flora of the Bismarck Archipelago
Flora of New Guinea
Plants described in 1912