Musa pigmaea

Musa pigmaea

Musa pigmaea M. Hotta, Kagoshima University Research Centre for the South Pacific, Occasional Papers No. 16: 73 (1989). nomen nudum

Accepted name	Musa pigmaea M. Hotta , Kagoshima University Research Centre for the South Pacific, Occasional Papers No. 16: 73 (1989). nomen nudum or possibly Musa beccarii (N. W. Simmonds) var. hottana M. Häkkinen, M. Suleiman and J. Gisil. Acta Phytotaxonomica et Geobotanica Vol. 56 (2) : 135 – 140 (2005).
Synonyms
Authorities	Hotta 1989 and Häkkinen et al 2005. The World Checklist of Monocotyledons does not list Musa pigmaea.
Section	Callimusa
Distribution	Borneo.
Description	None available.
References	Häkkinen et al 2005, Hotta 1989, Jong & Argent 2001, Simmonds & Weatherup 1990, Wong et al 2001.
Comments	A real enigma, the status of Musa pigmaea remains unknown; never properly described it remains a nomen nudum. It may be a distinct species or it may be a variety of Musa beccarii. Stretching logic, Häkkinen et al (2005) state that "it is [] considered that Musa pigmaea M.Hotta nom. nud. [] might be the synonym or a closely related variety to [Musa beccarii var. hottana]. If the relationship is true Musa pigmaea has priority so it cannot be a synonym. Its sectional status of Musa pigmaea is similarly problematic. Musa pigmaea is "closely related" to Musa beccarii N. W. Simmonds according to Hotta. If its affinities really are with M. beccarii this rather suggests it belongs wherever that rather better known species belongs. Simmonds and Weatherup 1990 transferred M. beccarii to section Callimusa out of incertae sedis. Jong & Argent 2001 maintained M. beccarii as incertae sedis. Based on its seed structure, chromosome number and AFLP results, Wong et al 2001 "confidently placed" M. beccarii within section Australimusa. So is M. pigmaea also section Australimusa? There is no information on which to base any decision. The question may be moot anyway if as Wong et al suggest sections Australimusa and Callimusa can no longer be maintained as distinct. I have left M. pigmaea in Callimusa pending further information.