Taxonomy
Synonyms
Cleistocalyx pennelii (Guillaumin) Merr. • Acicalyptus pennelii GuillauminRed List Status -
Endangered (EN) , assessed in 26/01/2018Protected species -
in Southern ProvinceSyzygium pennelii is an endemic shrub from New Caledonia restricted to the west coast of Grande Terre, from Bourail to Pouembout. This species is also observed at Koumac (Vallée des Palmiers) and herbarium specimens are required to confirm this location. It occurs in dry forest and understory vegetation of mesophilous forest on volcano sedimentary and calcareous soils between 10 and 40 m asl. The population size is unknown. The main threats identified are bushfires, Rusa deer (Rusa timorensis), urbanisation (forest clearing and cutting). Its extent of occurrence (EOO) and area of occupancy (AOO) are 300 and 28 km², respectively, while the number of locations is estimated to be 4. Therefore, S. pennelii is listed as Endangered (EN) under criteria B1ab(ii,iii,v)+B2ab(ii,iii,v).
Geographical area
Syzygium pennelii is an endemic shrub from New Caledonia restricted to the west coast of Grande Terre, from Bourail to Pouembout. This species is also observed at Koumac (Vallée des Palmiers) and herbarium specimens are required to confirm this location.
Population
Population size is unknown.
Habitat
S. pennelii occurs in dry forest and mesophilous forest on volcano sedimentary and calcareous soils between 10 and 40 m asl.
Threats
The main threats identified are bushfires, Rusa deer (Rusa imorensis), urbanisation (forest clearing and cutting).
Conservation
This species is not protected by legislation in New Caledonia and it does not occurs in any protected area. This species should be included in the regional legislation for a better protection of the species and ex situ and in situ conservation efforts are urgently needed, in particular : ensuring the follow-up of the known sub-populations and preserving it on delimited perimeters.The local authority responsible for the coordination of the firefighting effort should be informed about the presence of the species in the concerned areas. Finally, further prospection at Koumac and in similar habitats in the south west is recommended to better estimate its distribution and its extinction risks.
Bibliography
Morat, P.; Jaffré, T.; Tronchet, F.; Munzinger, J.; Pillon, Y.; Veillon, J.-M. and Chalopin, M. 2012. Le référentiel taxonomique Florical et les caractéristiques de la flore vasculaire indigène de la Nouvelle-Calédonie [The taxonomic database « FLORICAL » and characteristics of the indigenous flora of New Caledonia]. Adansonia sér 3(34) , p.177-219.
Endemia.nc 2016. Faune et Flore de Nouvelle-Calédonie.
Dawson J.W. 1999. Flore de la Nouvelle-Calédonie et dépendances. Volume 23 : Myrtaceae Myrtoideae 1 : Syzygium.
Experts
Assessor(s): Héquet, V., Vandrot, H., Barrabé, L., Amice, R., Butin, J., Cazé, H., Fleurot, D., Suprin, B., Chambrey, C., Laudereau, C., Haverkamp, C., Fogliani, B.
Reviewer(s): Gâteblé, G.
Facilitator(s): Meyer, S., Warimavute, G., Tanguy, V.