- IPNI Life Sciences Identifier (LSID)
- urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:60452475-2
- Publication
- American Fern Journal; a quarterly devoted to ferns.
- Collation
- 98(4): 241 (-245; f.10,12C)
- Date of Publication
- dt. 2008; issued 27 Mar 2009
- Family as entered in IPNI
- Grammitidaceae
Type Information
- Collector Team
- P. Sklenár & V. Sklenárová 2592
- Locality
- Cajas National Park, E flanks of Cerro Amarillo (4451 m), alt. 4300–4400 m
- Collection Date
- 13 Jul 1997
- Type Herbaria
- holotype UC
isotype PRC - Latitude
- 2° 45' S
- Longitude
- 79° 15' W
- Distribution Of Types
- Azuay (Ecuador, Western South America, Southern America)
Remarks
Protologue: Melpomene sklenarii grows in páramos, punas (jalca), and elfin forests at 2900–4700 m in Colombia and Ecuador (Fig. 12C). This species is easily confused with M. peruviana but can be distinguished by the evenly distributed hairs on the abaxial laminar surfaces (vs. clustered in sori in M. peruviana), more widely spaced fronds (internodes (5–)11–14 vs. 0.8–3.0 mm), and paler, more broadly lanceate rhizome scales (vs. dark brown to blackish and narrowly lanceate) which are often shed between the fronds (vs. usually persistent). Melpomene sklenarii grows in loose formations with the distant fronds held erect whereas M. peruviana tends to form dense mats and holds the fronds stiffly tip-downwards (or appressed to horizontal substrates). The rather small range of Melpomene sklenarii matches that of M. vulcanica and both species apparently often grow closely together. Large specimens of M. vulcanica are easily separated (segments long-deltate with acute tips, midveins visible on both sides in M. vulcanica vs. segments oblong to deltate with round to obtuse tips, midveins not visible adaxially in M. sklenarii), but smaller plants may have these distinguishing characters more weakly developed and may be confused with M. sklenarii. Even if equal in size, Melpomene vulcanica has rhizome scales that are still larger (6.2 × 1.0 mm, 20–30 cells wide across bases vs. to 3.5 × 0.6 mm, 14–18(–26) cells wide across bases) and longer persisting than those of M. sklenarii. Both species have hyaline segment margins, but those of M. vulcanica are two cell rows wide and beset with cells or clavate hairs whereas those of M. sklenarii are just one cell row wide in most parts and lack separate cells. Small plants of M. flabelliformis can be distinguished from M. sklenarii by their setiform/ciliform hairs clustered in the sori and the proximally more strongly cuneate laminae with approximate segments (vs. hairs not clustered in sori and laminae proximally rounded to cuneate with often distant segments in M. sklenarii). The two species have not been found growing together so far, and especially the small forms of M. flabelliformis occur mainly outside the range of M. sklenarii (i.e., Mexico and Africa).