Article

A new version of the earlier chromosome database of tribe Delphinieae is presented (v. 2.0, updated 23/4/2016 and available online at http://hdl.handle.net/2445/98702), after an accurate extensive literature and Internet survey, by adding the chromosome counts for the genera Aconitum L. [including Gymnaconitum (Stapf) Wei Wang & Z. D. Chen], Delphinium L. (including Staphisagria Spach), Consolida (DC.) S. F. Gray and Aconitella Spach, accumulated in the last 17 years. A total number of 2598 reports are presented, belonging to 389 species and to a total of 467 taxa, and representing 44.5% of the total species number of the tribe (an increase of c. 137% compared with the 1097 reports gathered in the 1999 version). This increase is due both to chromosome research progress (analysed as counts/year) and an improved information capture system (including checking of populations location through Cyrillic alphabet, and Japanese and Chinese writing systems). Additionally, recent taxonomic advances, synonimization and new phylogenetic criteria have also been taken into account. The main basic number x = 8 is found at 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x, 6x, and 8x ploidy levels, whereas x = 9 is much rarer. Polyploidy is more frequent in perennial taxa (Aconitum and Delphinium s. str.) whereas in annuals, disploidy (both increasing and decreasing) takes more importance and should be considered as a source of new evolutionary opportunities. The most frequent counts are 2n = 16 and 32, but counts of 2n = 12, 14, 17, 18, 20, 24, 26, 28, 30, 34, 40, 46, 48, 52, and 64 have also been recorded. In 20 species more than one different chromosome number has been reported and 81 species showed different ploidy levels. The Delphinieae Chromosome Database (DCDB) provides the most complete current available information on chromosome numbers of Delphinieae, yearly updated, and aimed to be useful for general building of cytotaxonomical databases and for specific research ongoing projects of systematics of Ranunculaceae. It is based in MsAccess/MsExcel software, and includes three levels of taxonomic resolution (published name, database accepted name, and Plant List standard name), and the geographic origin of each count (country, and population when provided in the original source).