Copiapoa coquimbana

Growth form and scope of the name

In the 2015 phylogenetic account, C. coquimbana belongs to the morphologically distinct southern species forming large clumps of many stems. The authors compare it with C. echinoides and the taxon called C. dealbata in that paper. Numerous branches shape much of the plant's structure. [Larridon et al. 2015, p. 1517]

The accepted name is Copiapoa coquimbana (originally Echinocactus coquimbanus). POWO lists three subspecies, the nominate subspecies, rubispina and wagenknechtii. Its range includes northern and central Chile. [2-WWW]

Damage in the Freirina population

Carevic and Barrientos studied a cactus community near Freirina in Atacama. In two field plots, they compared stem damage attributed to feral dogs on two dates in 2021. Symptoms included torn tissues, and the extent of damage was related to stem circumference. [Carevic and Barrientos 2022, p. 130–131]

In the community studied, C. coquimbana had greater damage than the two Eriosyce taxa compared. Differences between species were significant, while comparison of the two dates for each species showed no significant change. The authors considered plant accessibility on level terrain as one possible cause of the greater impact. [Carevic and Barrientos 2022, p. 131–132]

Skala oceny ochronnej

In the 2024 assessment by Villalobo-Lopez and colleagues, C. coquimbana was placed in the Least Concern category, LC. The Freirina damage data describe a local process in a particular population. Together, the papers show the difference between assessing a taxon's entire range and observing a single habitat. [Villalobo-Lopez et al. 2024, Villalobo-Lopez et al., pp. 6–7] [Carevic and Barrientos 2022, Villalobo-Lopez et al., pp. 6–7]