- IPNI Life Sciences Identifier (LSID)
- urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:60452474-2
- Publication
- American Fern Journal; a quarterly devoted to ferns.
- Collation
- 98(4): 237 (-241; f.9,12B)
- Date of Publication
- dt. 2008; issued 27 Mar 2009
- Family as entered in IPNI
- Grammitidaceae
Type Information
- Collector Team
- M. Kessler 10606
- Locality
- Prov. Bautista Saavedra: 15 km de Charazani hacia Chullina, alt. 3400 m
- Collection Date
- 5 Jul 1996
- Type Herbaria
- holotype UC
isotype GOET
isotype LPB - Latitude
- 15° 10' S
- Longitude
- 68° 53' W
- Distribution Of Types
- La Paz (Bolivia, Western South America, Southern America)
Remarks
Protologue: The name alludes to the fact that the species has often been mistaken for M. pilosissima (Latin, personata = masked, disguised), and also alludes to the name of the genus: Greek actors wore masks (Latin, persona) to symbolize the different characters of the plays, including the tragedies that the muse Melpomene is representing. Melpomene personata grows in shrubby páramos, elfin forests, and wet montane forests at (1850–)2700–4500 m in Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panama, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia (Fig. 12B) and is a common species in the Andes. Many Central American plants differ from the Andean ones slightly in having more but smaller, isodiametric cells in the scales, more apical cells, and mostly weakly visible midveins. Apart from that, the characters are identical. Many specimens of M. personata have been erroneously determined as M. pilosissima, which has added greatly to the confusion within that species complex. Molecular data, however, indicate that M. personata is not closely related to M. pilosissima and allies, but in fact belongs to the M. moniliformis clade (Lehnert et al., in press). Morphologically, M. personata is characterized by horizontally creeping rhizomes (vs. usually erect in M. pilosissima); rhizome length can vary greatly, but usually is longer than in M. pilosissima and allies, with the fronds also placed further apart (3–10 mm vs. 0.5–2.0 mm in M. pilosissima). From M. pilosissima and M. huancabambensis, M. personata differs in having the hairs abaxially clustered in the sori and along the midveins (vs. hairs evenly distributed); from M. xiphopteroides, it differs in the terete petioles (vs. petioles marginate to alate); from M. huancabambensis, M. jimemezii, and M. michaelis in having shorter hairs (to 2 mm in M. personata vs. to 3 mm) and conspicuous hydathodes (vs. hydathodes reduced or lacking); from M. vernicosa and M. jimenezii in the thinner (0.4–0.8 mm vs. 0.8–1.5 mm), glabrous or glabrescent petioles (vs. petioles persistently hairy). Other species for which Melpomene personata may be mistaken include M. sodiroi, M. albicans, and M. youngii. All differ from M. personata in having hidden midveins on the abaxial laminae (vs. midveins at least obscurely visible in M. personata). Melpomene sodiroi also has larger scales and usually gibbose segments; Melpomene albicans and M. youngii have a white wax-like deposit on the abaxial laminae, which is not present in M. personata; furthermore, M. youngii is completely glabrous and generally lacks hairs in the sori (sometimes 1–2 hairs in sori vs. hairy petioles, hairs clustered in sori in M. personata).