Ophrys atlantica
Ophrys atlantica is a species of flowering plant in the family Orchidaceae, native to southern Spain and northwest Africa. It was first described by Giles Munby in 1899. It has been treated as a subspecies of Ophrys fusca.
Description
O. atlantica is a slender plant, usually growing to between tall, but occasionally up to tall. It has one to four flowers in a loose spike. The sepals are of a pale greenish colour. The central sepal is incurved, forming a hood over the column. The lateral petals are green or brown and have wavy edges. The lip or labellum of the flower is saddle-shaped with a narrow base. It is usually about long and across, three-lobed at the end. The labellum is purplish-black overall, paler at the base, with a distinct shiny blue speculum or mirror.
Although O. atlantica has been treated as a subspecies of O. fusca, it can be distinguished from that species by the wavy-edged lateral petals and the saddle-shaped lip with a narrowed base.
Taxonomy
O. atlantica was first treated as a distinct taxon by Heinrich Gustav Reichenbach in 1851 who considered it to be the variety durieui of O. fusca. Károly Soó later treated this variety as a subspecies. It was first recognized as a distinct species under the name Ophrys atlantica by Giles Munby in 1899, although others later reduced it again to a variety or subspecies of O. fusca., Plants of the World Online accepted it as a distinct species.
Names
Ophrys atlantica is known by the common names Atlantic bee ophrys, Atlas ophrys, and the Atlas orchid.
Distribution and habitat
O. atlantica is mainly found in northwest Africa. It occurs very locally on the Costa del Sol in southern Spain. Typical habitats include open woodland, garrigue and scrubby grassland, where the soil is basic. It occurs from sea level up to altitudes of.
Ecology
O. atlantica is pollinated by the megachilid bee Megachile parietina. It shares this pollinator with O. bertolonii; both species have a saddle-shaped lip or labellum, which likely represents an adaptation.