Data from: Peperomia (Piperaceae) from Trindade Island: a new species based on morphological and molecular data

Peperomia is one of the largest genera of basal angiosperms, with about 1,600 species, distributed pantropically. The Brazilian oceanic island of Trindade is located about 1,200km off the Brazilian coast; its maximum altitude is 620ma.s.l. and its area is 9.28km2. Among the 113 species of vascular plants reported for Trindade Island there are two species of Peperomia: Peperomia beckeri, an endemic species known only from the type specimen; and Peperomia glabella.We re-evaluated specimens attributed to P. glabella from Trindade Island and compared them to specimens from the continent. The comparison included morphological analyses of the vegetative and reproductive organs, and a molecular phylogenetic study using the molecular markers trnK/matK and ITS. The trnK/matK marker showed significant differences between Peperomia from the mainland and Trindade. Together, these studies showed that the Peperomia occurring on Trindade is a species that differs both from those previously recorded on Trindade Island and from those on the continent, leading us to describe a new species. Peperomia segregata is endemic to Trindade, and would likely be considered critically endangered according to the IUCN criteria.

草胡椒属（Peperomia）是基部被子植物类群中最大的属之一，共计包含约1600个物种，呈泛热带分布。巴西海外岛屿特林达德岛（Trindade）距巴西海岸约1200公里，最高海拔为620米，陆地面积9.28平方公里。
目前该岛已记录有113种维管植物，其中包含2种草胡椒属物种：仅以模式标本记载的特有种贝氏草胡椒（Peperomia beckeri），以及光茎草胡椒（Peperomia glabella）。
本研究对特林达德岛归属为光茎草胡椒的标本进行了重新评估，并与大陆地区的同类标本开展比对。比对内容涵盖营养器官与生殖器官的形态学分析，以及利用trnK/matK与ITS分子标记开展的分子系统发育研究。
结果显示，trnK/matK分子标记可显著区分大陆与特林达德岛的草胡椒属植物。综合上述研究结果，特林达德岛现存的草胡椒属植物既不同于此前该岛记录的草胡椒属物种，也区别于大陆地区的类群，因此我们将其描述为新物种：分离草胡椒（Peperomia segregata）。
该物种为特林达德岛特有种，依据国际自然保护联盟（IUCN）红色名录标准，极有可能被评定为极危等级。