Expanded distribution of Viola lilliputana (Violaceae), the world’s smallest violet, in the Peruvian Andes

Gonzáles P.; Capcha-Ramos J.; Navarro E.; Särkinen T. · Revista Peruana de Biologia (2026) · DOI: 10.15381/rpb.v33i1.32405

Resumen

Viola lilliputana Iltis & H.E. Ballard, regarded as the smallest violet in the world, has been known for five decades solely from its type locality in Ayacucho, Peru. Here, we report three new localities in the departments of Áncash, Huancavelica, and Junín, substantially expanding its known geographic and elevational range. Specimens from Huancavelica and Junín follow to the original description, whereas those from Ancash exhibit larger vegetative and reproductive organs and slight qualitative differences, interpreted as intraspecific variation within the species’ morphological range. The species inhabits high-Andean Puna microhabitats associated with cryoturbated soils and cushions of Pycnophyllum. Species distribution modelling using MaxEnt showed high predictive performance (AUC = 0.97) and a markedly fragmented pattern of environmental suitability, primarily constrained by high-mountain thermal variables. Based on spatial parameters (extent of occurrence, area of occupancy, and number of localities), we propose that V. lilliputana be classified as Endangered (EN). Its high vulnerability is discussed in relation to strong microhabitat specialization and low field detectability, underscoring the need for targeted surveys in high-Andean ecosystems to ensure accurate assessment and effective conservation. © Los autores. Este artículo es publicado por la Revista Peruana de Biología de la Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos. Este es un artículo de acceso abierto, distribuido bajo los términos de la Licencia Creative Commons Atribución 4.0 Internacional. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.es) que permite Compartir (copiar y redistribuir el material en cualquier medio o formato), Adaptar (remezclar, transformar y construir a partir del material) para cualquier propósito, incluso comercialmente.

Instituciones: Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos