Recent herbarium research and exploratory field expeditions to the Chocó biogeographic region
along the western Andes and Pacific forests of northern Ecuador resulted in the discovery of two new
species, which are here described as Monopyle incisa and Monopyle tomentosa, both endemic to
premontate wet to cloud forests of the region. Based on IUCN guidelines, Monopyle incisa is preliminarily
assessed as Endangered (EN) and M. tomentosa as Vulnerable (VU). We provide a diagnostic table for six
commonly confused Monopyle species from western Ecuador, contributing to floristic knowledge of the
Tumbes-Chocó-Magdalena biodiversity hotspot and supporting conservation efforts in this highly
threatened region.
Abstract