Meniscium cocleanum (A.R.Sm. & Lellinger) R.S.Fernandes & Salino, 2014

Fernandes, Rozijane Santos, Yesilyurt, Jovita Cislinski & Salino, Alexandre, 2014, New species and combinations in Meniscium (Thelypteridaceae), Phytotaxa 184 (1), pp. 1-11 : 7-8

Meniscium cocleanum (A.R.Sm. & Lellinger) R.S.Fernandes & Salino , comb. nov.

Thelypteris cocleana Smith & Lellinger (1985: 918) . Type:— PANAMA. Coclé: “El Copé, along gravel road to right before sawmill, 2400 ft,” Province of Coclé, 731 m, 18 October 1979, T. Antonio 2188 (holotype UC, isotype MO).

Selected specimens examined:— NICARAGUA. Rio San Juan, Caltillo , Reserva Indio-Maiz , Cerro el Diablo, 11°01’N, 84°12’W, 350–609 m, 9 December 1998, R . Rueda et al. 9689 ( MO) . COSTA RICA. Guanacaste, Cantón de Tilaran , 10°37’40’’N, 84°59’45’’W, 1050 m, 26 July 1995, A . Rojas & Rodríguez 2089 ( BM, MO); Canton de La Cruz , 10°59’25’’N, 85°25’40’’W, 700–800 m, 4 September 1996, A . Rojas & M . Mata 2996 ( UC) . PANAMA. Coclé. El Cope, Parque Nacional G .D. Omar Torrijos Herrera, 08°40’13’’N, 80°35’26’’W, 725 m, 7 July 2012, A . Salino et al. 15361 ( BHCB) ; Veraguas, 08°35’N, 81°05’W, 1100–1400 m, 15 July 1983, C . Hamilton & K . Krager 3981 ( UC), 20 February 1983, C . Hamilton & R . Dressler 3069 ( MO, UC), 3 April 1980, T . Antonio 3958 ( MO) ; Coclé, 19 January 1978, T. B . Croat 44555 ( MO, UC) .

Distribution and habitat:— Meniscium cocleanum is distributed from Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama. It usually grows inside or along the edges of tropical evergreen forest formations, on hillsides, often along trails, at 350–1050 m.

Notes:— Meniscium cocleanum was, until this study, the only species of the genus known to have buds in the distal pinnae. Smith & Lellinger (1985) stated that the affinities of this species are uncertain. The new species described in this paper ( Meniscium triangularis ) also has distal proliferous buds, however, M. cocleanum has completely glabrous laminae whereas M. triangularis has a dense indument of scales and trichomes abaxially. Other differences have been previously discussed above.