Dioon tomasellii is a species of cycad in the family Zamiaceae. It is endemic to Mexico, where it occurs in the states of Durango, Guerrero, Jalisco, Michoacán, and Nayarit.Vovides, A. & Chemnick, J. 2010. Dioon tomasellii. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2015.2. Downloaded on 06 September 2015.
This plant grows in oak and pine-oak forest and woodland habitat. Threats to the species include destruction of the habitat for agriculture and overcollection for horticultural purposes.
This species was first described in 1984.De Luca, P., Sabato, S., & Torres, M. V. (1984). Dion tomasellii (Zamiaceae), a new species with two varieties from western Mexico. Brittonia, 36(3), 223-227. It was revised in 1997, with one variety being elevated to species status as Dioon sonorense.Chemnick, J., Gregory, T. J., & Salas Morales, S. (1997). A revision of Dioon tomasellii (Zamiaceae) from western Mexico, a range extension of D. merolae, and clarification of D. purpusii. Phytologia, 83(1), 1-6.
Mutualism
The beetle Pharaxonotha novoia is in an obligatory mutualistic relationship with Dioon tomaselli, living and breeding in male cones and consuming pollen and cone tissues while serving as a pollinating vector by transferring pollen to female cones.
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