By J. Jala | 12:26 PM December 27, 2020
GOOD NEWS: Scientists have discovered a new species of orchid in Bohol province.
BAD NEWS: Its status is critically endangered, which means it is technically a species facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.
The orchid was given the name “Corybas boholensis”, a new, critically endangered jewel orchid species found from forest over limestone on Bohol Island.
This diminutive species, belonging to the C. pictus complex, is distinct in having a deep red flower and a truncate, warty dorsal sepal with 9–11 veins at its widest point near the apex. This is the fifth species of Corybas recorded for the Philippines.
The discovery was formally published by researchers from the Philippine National Museum of Natural History, Philippine Taxonomic Initiative Inc. (PTI), University of the Philippines—Los Baños, and University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, USA , in the peer-reviewed journal Phytotaxa this month.
