- IPNI Life Sciences Identifier (LSID)
- urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:60452472-2
- Publication
- American Fern Journal; a quarterly devoted to ferns.
- Collation
- 98(4): 231 (-235; f.6,7E)
- Date of Publication
- dt. 2008; issued 27 Mar 2009
- Family as entered in IPNI
- Grammitidaceae
Type Information
- Collector Team
- M. Lehnert 1343
- Locality
- New road Loja-Zamora, ca. 4 km E of pass “El Tiro,” ridge from white cross on left road side (towards the valley), alt. 2550 m
- Collection Date
- 25 Sep 2004
- Type Herbaria
- holotype QCA
isotype GOET
isotype UC - Latitude
- 3° 59' S
- Longitude
- 79° 8' W
- Distribution Of Types
- Zamora-Chinchipe (Ecuador, Western South America, Southern America)
Remarks
Protologue: The name refers to the western centered distribution of the species in South America compared to the similar Melpomene firma, which extends E to the Guyana Highlands and central Bolivia. Melpomene occidentalis grows in montane forests at 2100–3400 m in Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador (Fig. 7E). Molecular studies show that this species is sister to Melpomene firma (Lehnert et al., in press). The main differences of M. occidentalis to M. firma are the predominantly terete, completely glabrous petioles (except for clavate hairs vs. petioles always marginate, persistently hairy adaxially, or rarely glabrescent, with dark, acicular hairs in M. firma) and the patent to ascending segments (vs. patent to deflexed). Colombian plants may have sinuses wider than the segment width (Hagemann 1306, COL), but contrary to the remote segments of M. firma they are still connected by thin strands of laminar tissue. Plants from northern Ecuador have more deltate segments and may be confused with species of the M. pilosissima or M. personata complexes. Those species differ in lacking marginal cells on the scales (vs. scales with marginal cells in M. occidentalis). The M. pilosissima alliance (M. pilosissima, M. huancabambensis, M. jimenezii, M. michaelis) has more abundant, longer hairs (to 3 mm), especially on the petioles, and has hairs often occurring on the segments margins or the adaxial laminar surfaces. Melpomene personata and allied species (M. albicans, M. youngii) differ in their generally prostrate rhizomes and the adaxially not visible midveins from both M. occidentalis and M. firma.