Serpocaulon

Kessler, Michael, Smith, Alan R., Øllgaard, Benjamin, Matos, Fernando B. & Moran, Robbin C., 2023, Prodromus of a fern flora of Bolivia. XLII. Update I., Phytotaxa 630 (3), pp. 183-210 : 198

Serpocaulon

A recent monograph of Serpocaulon by Sanín et al. (2023) necessitates some revision of the treatment of that genus for Bolivia. The following species, some new records, some as a result of recircumscription of previously recognized species, need to be added to the treatment of Smith et al. (2018). A newly named species is S. australe , which now includes the specimens heretofore called Serpocaulon gilliesii by Smith et al. (2018). In fact, the name S. gilliesii is now treated as a synonym of S. lasiopus , so that it applies to a different species ( Sanín et al. 2019b; Sanín et al. 2023). Serpocaulon rex , previously known only from southern Brazil, is now known from several sites in Bolivia, and S. dasypleuron and S. wagneri , both fairly widespread in South America, are now considered to occur in Bolivia as a result of reidentifications of existing material. Several species recognized by Smith et al. (2018) are now excluded from Bolivia: S. silvulae , is now placed into synonymy under a previously recognized species, S. crystalloneuron . Specimens previously called S. caceresii for Bolivia are now understood to all be S. articulatum ; the former species has been wrongly interpreted ( Sanín et al. 2021), and collections previously determined as S. caceresii generally represent either S. articulatum or S. psychotrium ( Sanín et al. 2023) , a species known only from Venezuela and Colombia to Peru, but possibly to be found in Bolivia. Two additional species recognized by Smith et al. (2018), S. latipes and S. ptilorhizon , are no longer known to occur in Bolivia; specimens called this for Bolivia are assignable to other species, namely S. intricatum for the former, and either S. funckii or S. subandinum for the latter. As a result of these changes, the number of species known from Bolivia has increased by 3 (6 additions, 3 deletions) to 24. The particulars for all taxa are summarized following a new key for all species in the genus. For a full accounting of the taxonomy, synonymy, and ranges of species of Serpocaulon , the monograph by Sanín et al. (2023) should be consulted. Images of specimens indicated by an asterisk are available on the Pteridoportal (www.pteridoportal.org).