Overview
- The IIAP and international collaborators reported the new species in February 2026, publishing the description in the peer‑reviewed journal Phytotaxa.
- Zamia urarinorum is the first recorded cycad physiologically adapted to permanently inundated, low‑oxygen soils, capable of growing with part of its stem submerged.
- Specimens were documented in Loreto’s Tigrillo and Urituyacu river basins after 2025 fieldwork in the communities of Raya Yacu, Nuevo Horizonte and Puerto Rico.
- The name honors the Urarina people, recognizing their role in safeguarding the territories where the plant occurs.
- Researchers cite threats from agricultural expansion, oil pollution and infrastructure projects and recommend urgent protection under IUCN criteria.