Pleopeltis alborufula (Brade) Salino (2009: 106)

Souza, Filipe Soares De & Salino, Alexandre, 2021, Pleopeltis (Polypodiaceae) in Brazil, Phytotaxa 512 (4), pp. 213-256 : 216-217

1. Pleopeltis alborufula (Brade) Salino (2009: 106) . Figs. 1A–H , 7A , 19A–B , 20A, M–N . Polypodium alborufulum Brade (1951: 29) . Type:— BRAZIL. Espírito Santo: Castelo, Forno Grande , 1200m, 12 May 1949, A.C. Brade 19791 (holotype, RB!; isotype SP!)

Pleopeltis bradei (de la Sota) Salino (2009: 106) . Polypodium bradei de la Sota (1965: 266) syn. nov. Type:— BRAZIL. Espírito Santo: Castelo, Forno Grande , 1200 m, 12 May 1949, A.C. Brade 19791B (holotype: RB!).

Plants epipetric or rarely terrestrial. Rhizomes short-creeping, with scales lanceolate, brown, with bases rounded, apex acuminate and margins laciniate, with simple projections; fronds monomorphic, 8–33 × 2–5 cm, petiolate; petioles 2–9 cm long, terete, without wings, moderately scaly; laminae 6–24 cm long, pinnatisect, lanceolate, base truncate to subtruncate, apex acuminate to acute; rachises terete, densely scaly; pinnae 8–35 pairs, proximal 2–4 pairs reduced; medial pinnae 1.1–2.4 × 0.3–0.5 cm, linear-lanceolate, base adnate to the rachises, auricle present or absent, with or rarely without hydathodes, apex acuminate, margins entire, moderately to densely scaly on both surfaces; venation anastomosing, obscure; frond scales lanceolate, brown to dark brown in those of petioles, and light brown to stramineous in those of both surfaces of pinnae, base rounded with projections simple, eventually bifid and brown to blackish point of attachment, apex acuminate to filiform, margins stramineous to hyaline and erose to laciniate; sori rounded, medial, covered by scales; spores papillate.

Selected specimens examined: — BRAZIL. Espírito Santo: Castelo, Parque Estadual do Forno Grande , 16 July 2008, L. Kollmann 11095 ( MBML, RB, UPCB) ; idem, idem, Parque Estadual Forno Grande , 26 June 2008, A. Salino 13652 ( BHCB) ; Domingos Martins, Parque Estadual da Pedra Azul , 5 December 2008, A. Salino 14117 ( BHCB) ; Nova Venécia, Topo da Pedra do Elefante , 25 August 2009, A. Salino 14422 ( BHCB) ; Santa Maria do Jetibá, Pedra do Garrafão , 28 August 2009, A. Salino 14542 ( BHCB) ; Rio de Janeiro: Santa Maria Magdalena, Serra do Tamanduá , 20 March 1935, J. Santos Lima 289 ( RB) .

Distribution and habitat: —Endemic to Atlantic Forest in Brazil and known only from rocky outcrops at 800– 1600 m elevation in the states of Espírito Santo and Rio de Janeiro ( Fig. 3A ).

Notes: —This species is recognized by the few pairs of reduced pinnae at the lamina base and rachis and laminar tissue with lightly colored, lanceolate scales that have deeply dentate margins.

Polypodium bradei was described from part of an isotype of Polypodium alborufulum . De la Sota (1965) used the presence of auricles at the base of the pinnae and small differences in the scales to differentiate P. bradei from P. alborufulum although Brade (1951) also cited auricles in the original description of Polypodium alborufulum . The material used to describe the two species has morphological “aberrations,” such as branches and projections on the pinnae, suggesting a deformation that could have resulted in the differences observed. Thus, after an extensive analysis of the scales, spores, and morphology of the type material of the two species, we think Pleopeltis bradei should be synonymized under Pleopeltis alborufula because the material has similar scales and spore morphology.

This species is categorized as Endangered (EN) because it has a small area of occupation and extent of occurrence (MMA 2014). Pleopeltis alborufula occurs in about five localities, all areas of rocky outcrops of granite. Some locations are protected in Conservation Units, but other areas are used for extraction of rocks for commercial use.

Figures

FIGURE 1. A–H. Pleopeltis alborufula. A. Habit; B. Rhizome scale; C. Petiole scale; D. Adaxial rachis scale; E. Abaxial rachis scale; F. Adaxial laminar scale; G.Abaxial laminar scale; H. Sorus scale. I–N. P. astrolepis. I. Habit; J–K. Rhizome scales; L.Abaxial rachis scale; M. Adaxial laminar scale; N. Abaxial laminar scale.

FIGURE 3. Distribution of four species of Pleopeltis in Brazil. A. P. alborufula; B. P. astrolepis; C. P. aturensis; D. P. bombycina.

FIGURE 7. Spores of nine species of Pleopeltis from Brazil. A. P. alborufula; B. P. astrolepis; C. P. aturensis; D. P. bombycina; E. P. burchellii; F. P. desvauxii; G. P. furcata; H. P. gyroflexa; I. P. hirsutissima. Scale bar = 20 mm

FIGURE 19. Laminar indument of three species of Pleopeltis from Brazil. A. P. alborufula, adaxial surface; B. P. alborufula, abaxial surface; C. P. burchelii, adaxial surface; D. P. burchelii, abaxial surface; E. P. monoides, adaxial surface; F. P. monoides, abaxial surface.

FIGURE 20. Laminar scales of eight species of Pleopeltis from Brazil. A. P. alborufula, abaxial scale; B. P. burchelii, abaxial scale; C–D. P. minima, abaxial scales; E. P. bombycina, abaxial scale; F. P. trindadensis, abaxial scale; G. P. hirsutissima, abaxial scale; H. P. lepidopteris, abaxial scale; I. P. minarum, abaxial scale; J. P. bombycina, adaxial scale; K. P. lepidopteris, adaxial scale; L. P. minarum, adaxial scale; M–N. P. alborufula, adaxial scales.