Nepenthes pudica is a carnivorous pitcher plant. Its modified leaves are, as the description indicates, jar-shaped and its prey falls on them, which it feeds on. What sets the newly discovered plant apart from its carnivorous counterparts is that pitchers are often found on the surface of the ground or in trees. Well, Nepenthes pudica pitchers are below ground and therefore capture subterranean prey. This hunting strategy is unique to carnivorous pitcher plants.
“We have found a pitcher plant that differs markedly from all other known species,” says Martin Dančák of Palacký University in Olomouc, Czech Republic, lead author of the study, published in the journal PhytoKeys , where his team describes the new species. . “In fact, this species places its up to 11 cm long pitchers underground , where they form in cavities or directly in the ground and trap animals that live underground, typically ants, mites and beetles,” he adds.
The peculiar carnivorous plant has been found in North Kalimantan, in Borneo. When the scientists saw it they thought the jars had been buried by accident . Then they realized that the location was not accidental at all. “At first, we thought that it was an accidentally buried pitcher and that local environmental conditions had caused the lack of other pitchers. However, as we continued to find other pitcherless plants along the climb to the summit, we wondered if a A species of pitcher plant could have evolved toward loss of carnivory, as seen in some other carnivorous plants.But then, while taking photos, I ripped a cushion of moss from the base of a tree revealing a cluster of rich maroon pitchers that grew from a short shoot with reduced leaves and devoid of chlorophyll”.
The group then analyzed the other plants found and found that all of them had subterranean shoots with pitchers, confirming that this species specifically targets the subsurface.
Nepenthes pudica is not the only carnivorous plant that hunts underground prey, but it does so following a different strategy than the rest. Furthermore, the others can only capture tiny organisms. N. pudica produces specialized underground shoots from which smaller than normal, completely white leaves grow, devoid of chlorophyll. These leaves are the ones that hold the jars, which do have a normal size and are reddish in color.
“Interestingly, we found numerous organisms living inside the pitchers , including mosquito larvae, nematodes, and a species of worm that was also described as a new species,” explains Václav Čermák of Mendel University in Brno (Czech Republic), who also He was part of the research team.
The newly discovered species grows in the heights , on peaks of 1,100 – 1,300 meters. According to its discoverers, this could be the reason that made it evolve by placing its traps underground. “Our hypothesis is that underground cavities have more stable environmental conditions, including humidity, and presumably there are also more potential prey during dry periods,” adds Michal Golos of the University of Bristol in the UK. has also studied this curious plant.
The adjective pudica derives from the Latin pudicus , meaning timid. The scientific name Nepenthes pudica reflects the curious behavior of the plant that shyly hides its pitchers underground.
Nepenthes pudica is endemic to Borneo. “This discovery is important for nature conservation in Indonesian Borneo as it underlines its importance as a global biodiversity hotspot. We hope that the discovery of this unique carnivorous plant can help protect Borneo’s rainforests, especially the prevent or at least slow down the conversion of pristine forests to oil palm plantations,” concludes Wewin Tjiasmanto of Yayasan Konservasi Biota Lahan Basah, who helped discover the new species.
Reference: Dančák M, Majeský Ľ, Čermák V, Golos MR, Płachno BJ, Tjiasmanto W. 2022. First record of functional underground traps in a pitcher plant: Nepenthes pudica (Nepenthaceae), a new species from North Kalimantan, Borneo. PhytoKeys. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.201.82872
