Badmin: Created page with "{{Taxobox | name = Echinofossulocactus | image = Echinofossulocactus_multicostatus.jpg | kingdom = Plantae | family = Cactaceae | subfamily = Cactoideae | tribe = Cacteae | genus = '''Echinofossulocactus''' | synonymy = ''Stenocactus'' (K.Schum.) A.Berger (1898) | notes = Taxonomy follows Joël Lodé (2015). Lodé prioritizes this name over ''Stenocactus'' based on the principle of priority (ICN). }} == Etymology == The name is a combination of "Cactus h..."

2026-04-04T15:20:41Z

Created page with "{{Taxobox | name = Echinofossulocactus | image = Echinofossulocactus_multicostatus.jpg | kingdom = Plantae | family = Cactaceae | subfamily = Cactoideae | tribe = Cacteae | genus = '''Echinofossulocactus''' | synonymy = ''Stenocactus'' (K.Schum.) A.Berger (1898) | notes = Taxonomy follows Joël Lodé (2015). Lodé prioritizes this name over ''Stenocactus'' based on the principle of priority (ICN). }} == Etymology == The name is a combination of "Cactus h..."

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{{Taxobox
| name = Echinofossulocactus
| image = Echinofossulocactus_multicostatus.jpg
| kingdom = [[Plantae]]
| family = [[Cactaceae]]
| subfamily = [[Cactoideae]]
| tribe = [[Cacteae]]
| genus = '''Echinofossulocactus'''
| synonymy = ''Stenocactus'' (K.Schum.) A.Berger (1898)
| notes = Taxonomy follows Joël Lodé (2015). Lodé prioritizes this name over ''Stenocactus'' based on the principle of priority (ICN).
}}

== Etymology ==
The name is a combination of "Cactus hedgehog" (or urchin) and the Latin ''fossula'' (groove/furrow), describing the plants' globose, spiny shape and their characteristic wavy, deeply grooved ribs[cite: 1].

== Description ==
'''Echinofossulocactus''' consists of small, low-growing plants that range from globose and flattened to shortly cylindrical.
* '''Stems:''' Usually solitary, though occasionally forming small clumps[cite: 1]. A defining feature is the presence of numerous (up to 120), very fine, and characteristically **wavy ribs**[cite: 1].
* '''Spines:''' They possess two distinct types of spines: upper spines that are thicker, longer, and often dagger-shaped (gladiate), and lower spines that are smaller and often translucent (hyaline)[cite: 1].
* '''Flowers:''' Diurnal and relatively small, appearing at the stem apex. Colors vary from white and yellow to more frequent shades of pink-purple or violet with dark central stripes[cite: 1]. They are pollinated mainly by bees[cite: 1].
* '''Fruits and Seeds:''' Small, globose fruits that are laterally dehiscent (split along the side)[cite: 1]. The seeds are shiny, blackish-brown, and likely dispersed by ants (myrmecophily)[cite: 1].

== Habitat ==
These cacti are highly mimetic, often growing at ground level hidden among grasses and bushes[cite: 1]. They are found on stony plains, rocky limestone soils, and grasslands rich in humus at altitudes between 600 m and 2800 m[cite: 1].

== Distribution ==
* '''Mexico:''' Widely distributed across states including Aguascalientes, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Guanajuato, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Mexico DF, Nuevo León, Oaxaca, Puebla, Querétaro, San Luis Potosí, Tlaxcala, and Zacatecas[cite: 1].

== Species ==
Lodé recognizes a reduced list of 12 species, noting that the genus is a "taxonomic nightmare" due to high variability and hybridization[cite: 1]:

* [[Echinofossulocactus coptonogonus]]
* [[Echinofossulocactus crispatus]]
* [[Echinofossulocactus dichroacanthus]]
* [[Echinofossulocactus lamellosus]]
* [[Echinofossulocactus multicostatus]]
* [[Echinofossulocactus lloydii]]
* [[Echinofossulocactus obvallatus]]
* [[Echinofossulocactus ochoterenanus]]
* [[Echinofossulocactus pentacanthus]]
* [[Echinofossulocactus phyllacanthus]]
* [[Echinofossulocactus sulphureus]]
* [[Echinofossulocactus vaupelianus]]

== Taxonomy and Controversy ==
The use of the name ''Echinofossulocactus'' vs. ''Stenocactus'' is one of the most debated topics in cactus nomenclature:
* '''Priority:''' Lodé argues that since ''Echinofossulocactus'' (1841) predates ''Stenocactus'' (1898), it must be maintained according to the International Code of Nomenclature (ICN)[cite: 1].
* '''Lectotypification:''' He supports the original lectotypification of ''E. coptonogonus'' by Britton & Rose as correct and rejects attempts to synonymize the genus with ''Echinocactus''[cite: 1].
* '''Phylogeny:''' Molecular studies (Vázquez-Sánchez et al., 2013) show that this genus is part of a "Ferocactus clade" along with ''Leuchtenbergia'' and ''Thelocactus'', but remains a distinct monophyletic group (if ''E. coptonogonus'' is excluded)[cite: 1].

[[Category:Cactaceae]]
[[Category:Cactoideae]]
[[Category:Cacteae]]

Echinofossulocactus - Revision history