Nine new species and a new country record for Meriania (Melastomataceae) from Peru

Nine new species of Meriania are described and illustrated and M. zunacensis, originally described from Ecuador, is recorded for the first time for Peru from Andean forests in the Amazonas Department. The new species are M. bicentenaria and M. vasquezii from Pasco, M. bongarana, M. callosa and M. juanjil from Amazonas, M. hirsuta from Piura, M. megaphylla from La Libertad, M. sumatika from Cusco and M. escalerensis from the Loreto-San Martín border.

Following IUCN criteria, M. megaphylla is categorized as Data Deficient (DD) as it is only known from one collection made in 1914, M. bicentenaria and M. sumatika are categorized as Endangered (EN) and the remaining new species are categorized as Critically Endangered (CR). With these discoveries, N Peru (Departments of Amazonas, Cajamarca and Piura) harbours the highest number of Meriania species in the country. Also, Peru now has a total of 34 species of Meriania and is the country with the second highest diversity for the genus.