Clusia falcata (Clusiaceae), an endangered species with exceptionally narrow leaves endemic to Chiapas, Mexico

SummaryClusia falcata (Clusiaceae), a new species from Chiapas, Mexico, is described and illustrated. This new taxon is distinctive for its leaves, among the narrowest of all known species, having lanceolate to oblong laminas that are mostly 10 – 15 × 2 – 2.5 cm. The flowers have a quadrangular perianth with succulent petals, and a non-resiniferous androecium and gynoecium. Staminate flowers have a quadrangular androphore bearing 18 – 24 short stamens. Pistillate flowers have 4 pairs of staminodia, with each pair born on an androphore. The species is endemic to montane forests of the Northern and Eastern highlands of Chiapas in Mexico and is currently considered to be endangered.

Soils Carbon Stocks and Litterfall Fluxes from the Bornean Tropical Montane Forests, Sabah, Malaysia

Tropical forests play an important role in carbon storage, accumulating large amounts of carbon in their aboveground and belowground components. However, anthropogenic land-use activities have increasingly threatened tropical forests, resulting in accelerated global greenhouse gas emissions. This research aimed to estimate the carbon stocks in soil, organic layer, and litterfall in tropical montane forests under three different land uses (intact forest, logged-over forest, and plantation forest) at Long Mio, Sabah, Malaysia. Field data were collected in a total of 25 plots from which soil was randomly sampled at three depths. Litterfalls were collected monthly from November 2018 to October 2019. The results showed that the soil in the study area is Gleyic Acrisol, having pH values ranging between 4.21 and 5.71, and high soil organic matter contents. The results also showed that the total soil carbon stock, organic layer, and litterfall is higher in the intact forest (101.62 Mg C ha−1), followed by the logged-over forest (95.61 Mg C ha−1) and the plantation forest (93.30 Mg C ha−1). This study highlights the importance of conserving intact forests as a strategy to sequester carbon and climate change mitigation.

An unusual body colouration of Ceylon roughside snake (Aspidura ceylonensis)

The small sized, non-venomous, and fossorial colubrid snake genus Aspidura Wagler, 1830 is endemic to Sri Lanka. Aspidura ceylonensis (Günther, 1858) is rare and restricted to mid-elevation to montane and sub-montane forests at elevation of 500–1300 m a.s.l. in the Central Highlands and the Knuckles massif. It is found in cool and well-shaded forest areas, with thick moist leaflitter, woody debris, and loose soil. The usual adult body coloration on dorsum is dark reddish or dark orange, rarely yellowish, with a continuous black vertebral line and two rows of dorsolateral black spots along the body.