Moquilea Aubl. was described by Aublet (1775) along with four other currently recognised Neotropical genera, Acioa Aubl., Couepia Aubl., Licania Aubl. and Parinari Aubl. The genus was placed in synonymy of Licania by Grisebach (1857) based on the shared character of the ovary positioned at the base of the receptacle and was treated mostly as a synonym of Licania thereafter. Prance (1967) circumscribed Moquilea as a subgenus of Licania.

Molecular phylogenetic analyses (Bardon et al. 2016; Sothers et al. 2014) recovered Licania as polyphyletic and species included in Licania subgen. Moquilea were recovered as sister to Couepia and distant from Licania s.s. To maintain the monophyly of Licania the genus was split into eight genera (Sothers et al. 2016), which included, among others, the re-instatement of Moquilea at generic level.

Moquilea comprises c. 54 species of trees, widely distributed from Mexico to Central and South America. The genus shares with Couepia the glabrous or lanate leaves, and the free, exserted stamens; they differ primarily by the position of the ovary on the receptacle, in Moquilea at the base, and in Couepia at the mouth.

The redelimitation of Licania s.l. revealed that a name in Moquilea was a later homonym. Below we propose a new name for Moquilea macrocarpa (Cuatrec.) Sothers & Prance since the epithet is already taken, as Moquilea macrocarpa Pittier, a synonym of Moquilea pyrifolia (Griseb.) R.O.Williams (1932).

Taxonomy

Moquilea magnifructa Sothers & Prance, nom. nov.

http://www.ipni.org/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77200625-1

Moquilea macrocarpa (Cuatrec.) Sothers & Prance, Kew Bull. 71 (4)-58: 36 (Sothers et al. 2016), nom. illeg., non Moquilea macrocarpa Pittier (1938: 352); Licania macrocarpa Cuatrec. (Cuatrecasas 1951: 107). Type: Colombia, Valle, Río Cajambre, Quebrada del Corosal, J. Cuatrecasas 17740 (holotype F; isotype COL).

distribution. Panama, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. Lowland forests to c. 600 m and in premontane rainforest in Panama.

conservation status. Moquilea magnifructa is assessed as LC (Least Concern) according to the IUCN (2012) categories and criteria. The species is distributed over an extensive area spanning four countries, in lowland and premontane forests (Prance & Sothers 2003); therefore, currently it is not considered at risk.

etymology. This new name reflects the striking character of the large fruit, which we chose to maintain in line with the previous name given to the species by José Cuatrecasas.

notes. Moquilea magnifructa and M. pyrifolia both have large fruits but their range of distribution differs; M. magnifructa occurs from Panama to western northern South America (Colombia, Ecuador and Peru) and M. pyrifolia from the Caribbean, Venezuela and eastern Colombia. Moquilea magnifructa has much larger leaves that are ferrugineous on the abaxial side and thick petioles, distinguishing it from M. pyrifolia, with smaller glabrescent leaves and slender elongate petioles (Prance & Sothers 2003).