Votomita roraimensis Morley (Memecyleae, Melastomataceae), nuevo registro para Venezuela

the genus votomita, tribe memecyleae, comprises trees or shrubs with simple, pinnately-veined, opposite, usually glabrous leaves, flowers 4-merous in axillar cymes with 1-3 flowers. it includes ten species with pantropical distribution, including cuba, panama, guyana, french guiana, suriname, brazil, peru and venezuela. in this country two endemic species were known, v. orinocensis and v. ventuarenis. this paper documents the presence of votomita roraimensis for the first time in venezuela, previously known only from the state of roraima, brazil. as a result of recent botanical explorations in the middle cucurital river basin, an affluent of the caroní river, bolívar state, material of votomita with morphological traits different from the known venezuelan species was found. the samples were analyzed by taxonomical techniques, compared with herbarium specimes,and by consulting specialized literature. the identification was corroborated by comparison with the original description and with the images the type of v. roraimensis, available in internet. v. roraimensis differs from v. orinocensis in having four locules and numerous ovules; the presence of free stamens, shorter petioles, and smaller leaves and fruits allows its distinction from v. ventuarensis. a description of v. roraimensis, and a key for the venezuelan species of votomita are provided.