# New Publication - Phylogeny of Prosthechea February 01, 2024 - [ News ](/news-categories/news) HUH Research Fellow Tiago Vieira and colleagues have a new publication in *Taxon.* "Phylogeny of *Prosthechea* (Laeliinae, Orchidaceae) based on nrITS and plastid DNA sequences: Reassessing the lumper-splitter debate and shedding light on the evolution of this Neotropical genus" explores data generated during Tiago's PhD at Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana. **Abstract**: After a confused taxonomic history, *Prosthechea* (Laeliinae, Orchidaceae) has been circumscribed in a broad sense to include species previously placed in *Encyclia* subg. *Osmophytum*. However, recent alternative classifications resurrecting old names such as *Anacheilium* and *Hormidium*, and proposing new genera such as *Euchile*, *Panarica*, *Pollardia*, and *Pseudencyclia* were presented, splitting *Prosthechea* into narrower genera. In this study, we provide a molecular phylogeny of *Prosthechea* to reassess alternative generic classifications and shed light on evolutionary aspects of this highly diverse Neotropical lineage. Eighty species of *Prosthechea* s.l. and 12 species of related genera were sampled. Bayesian and maximum parsimony analyses of sequences from three plastid regions (*rpl32-trnL*, *trnD-trnT*, *ycf1*) and nrITS were included. Possible conflicts between nuclear and plastid data were assessed with partitioned Bremer support. Ancestral state reconstructions of morphological characters relevant to the genus taxonomy are provided. Our results reinforce the monophyly of the lineage corresponding to a broad circumscription of *Prosthechea*. The small lineages corresponding to *Euchile*, *Panarica*, and *Hormidium* are monophyletic, whereas the larger *Anacheilium*, *Pollardia*, and *Pseudencyclia* are not monophyletic. Splitting *Prosthechea* into smaller genera is not supported by our phylogeny, and nonmonophyly also hinders the proposal of a comprehensive infrageneric classification. The phylogenetic relationships recovered reflect better the biogeographic patterns than the previously proposed morphological affinities, pointing to the existence of homoplastic floral traits within the genus. Conflicts between nuclear and plastid partitions were detected, suggesting a possible scenario of reticulate evolution. Vieira, T.L., Salazar, G.A. and van den Berg, C. (2024), Phylogeny of *Prosthechea* (Laeliinae, Orchidaceae) based on nrITS and plastid DNA sequences: Reassessing the lumper-splitter debate and shedding light on the evolution of this Neotropical genus. TAXON. Share on:- [ Facebook ](#) - [ Twitter ](#) - [ Linkedin ](#)