Melocactus conoideus

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• Classification Schemes
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• Bibliography
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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
PLANTAE	TRACHEOPHYTA	MAGNOLIOPSIDA	CARYOPHYLLALES	CACTACEAE

Scientific Name:	Melocactus conoideus
Species Authority:	Buining & Brederoo

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:	Critically Endangered   B1ab(iii,iv,v)+2ab(iii,iv,v)   ver 3.1
Year Assessed:	2002
Assessor/s:	Taylor, N.P.
Reviewer/s:	Stuppy, W. & Taylor, N.P. (Cacti & Succulent Plant Red List Authority)
Justification: Regrettably, the survival of M. conoideus in the wild is severely threatened by extraction of the quartz gravel in which it grows, and was formerly impacted by commercial collection for the European horticultural market. Since June 1992 it has been listed on Appendix I of CITES. In 1989 M. conoideus was close to extinction at the type locality in the Serra do Periperi above Vitória da Conquista, BA, where it is sympatric with the widespread M. concinnus. However, from the original locality another adjacent area of similar habitat could be seen and subsequently Brazilian cactus enthusiasts have confirmed that a healthy extension of the population exists. This area is more distant from the BR 116 highway and is now officially protected, although this has so far failed to halt gravel extraction.

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	Found near Serra do Periperi, Mun. Vitória da Conquista, south-eastern Bahia. The extent of occurrence and area of occupancy is estimated to be <10 km².
Countries:	Native: Brazil (Bahia)

Population [top]

Population Trend:

Decreasing

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	Eastern caatinga/Northern campo rupestre element: under and between shrubs in quartz gravel, campo sujo / cerrado de altitude, c. 1,050 m.
Systems:	Terrestrial

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):

Loss of habitat due to mining and removal of plants and seed by collectors.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:

Listed on CITES App. I. Occurs in a protected area.

Bibliography [top]

IUCN. 2002. 2002 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. www.iucnredlist.org. Downloaded on 8 October 2002. Taylor, N.P. 1991. The genus Melocactus in Central and South America. Bradleya 9: 1–80. Taylor, N.P. 1992. Plants in peril, 17. Melocactus conoideus. Kew Magazine 9: 138–142. Taylor, N.P. and Zappi, D.C. 2004. Cacti of Eastern Brazil. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.