ANDRUS, NICOLE. Florida International University Department of Biological Sciences, University Park, Miami, FL 33199; Fairchild Tropical Garden, 11935 Old Cutler Road, Coral Gables, FL 33156-4299. - Molecular evidence for a potential biogeographical connection between the Canary Islands and the Island of Socotra.
Several genera exhibit biogeographical disjunctions between the Canary
Islands-Morocco and East Africa-South Arabia [i.e. Canarina
(Campanulaceae), Campylanthus (Scrophulariaceae),
Hemicrambe, (Brassicaceae)]. These disjunctions represent the
remnants of a continuous vegetation that spread along North Africa
before the formation of the Sahara Desert. The genus Vieraea
(Asteraceae:Inuleae) is a monotypic genus restricted to ancient areas
of the island of Tenerife (Canary Islands); based on morphological
grounds this genus has been suggested to be closely related to one
species of Pulicaria endemic to the island of Socotra south of
Yemen (P.vieraoides). A molecular systematic study based on ITS
sequences of the nuclear ribosomal DNA was conducted to test the
validity of this potential connection. This study includes a broad
selection of genera of the tribe Inuleae.
Key words: Canary Islands, Socotra