New records for dwarf mistletoes in Honduras and Mexico
In March 2000, a dwarf mistletoe was collected near San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico (2440 m altitude). The collected sample came from a population which was initially classified as Arceuthobium nigrum. However, morphological measurements and molecular assays confirmed that this population was Arceuthobium hondurense and not A. nigrum. An additional population of A. hondurense was discovered in Chiapas near Oxchuc (2160 m altitude). Both populations of A. hondurense were found parasitizing Pinus tecunumanii. This is the first report of A. hondurense in Mexico. A. hondurense was previously only known from Honduras (Mathiasen et al., 2001).
In November 2000, it was observed that several trees of Pinus hartwegii were parasitized by Arceuthobium globosum subsp. grandicaule near Gracia (Deparment of Lempira), in Honduras. This dwarf mistletoe was previously only known to occur in central Mexico and western Guatemala. This is the first report of A. globosum subsp. grandicaule in Honduras (Melgar et al., 2001).
Sources
Mathiasen, R; Nickrent, D; Parks, C; Beatty, J; Sesnie S. (2001) First report of Arceuthobium hondurense in Mexico.
Plant Disease, 85(4), p 444.
Melgar, J.; Mathiasen, R.; Howell, B. (2001) First report of Arceuthobium globosum subsp. grandicaule in Honduras.
Plant Disease, 85(4), p 563.