Melpomene melanosticta (Kunze) A.R.Sm. & R.C.Moran, Novon

Smith, Alan R., Kessler, Michael, León, Blanca, Almeida, Thaís Elias, Jiménez-Pérez, Iván & Lehnert, Marcus, 2018, Prodromus of a fern flora for Bolivia. XL. Polypodiaceae, Phytotaxa 354 (1), pp. 448-450 : 448-450

Melpomene melanosticta (Kunze) A.R.Sm. & R.C.Moran, Novon 2(4): 430. 1992.

= Grammitis melanosticta (Kunze) F.Seym., Phytologia 31: 179. 1975.

Range: —Greater Antilles and Guadeloupe; southern Mexico to Costa Rica; Colombia to Suriname and Bolivia (BE, LP), Brazil.

Ecology: —Uncommon; epiphytic in humid rain forests; 800–1800 m.

Notes: —Occurring at lower elevations than all other Melpomene in Bolivia. Similar to M. moniliformis , but rhizomes are more compact and shorter (internodes 1 mm long or less vs. rhizomes distinctly prostrate, internodes 2–5 mm, rarely less in M. moniliformis and varieties). The scales of M. melanosticta may have small lateral lobes that bear apical glands like the main apex; they are very helpful for identification but not always present.

Melpomene michaelis Lehnert, Amer. Fern J. 98(4): 229(–231), f. 5E-K, 7D. 2008 [2009]; Amer. Fern J. 99: 335. 2009 [2010].

Range: —Southeastern Peru (Cuzco) and Bolivia (CO, LP, SC).

Ecology: —Uncommon; epiphytic in humid rain forests, cloud forests, and elfin forests; (1650) 2400–3250 m.

Notes: —The dedication of this species was corrected in order to preserve the spelling of this name (Lehnert 2009). Most similar to M. pilosissima (M.Martens & Galeotti) A.R.Sm. & R.C.Moran ( var. pilosissima in southern Mexico to Costa Rica, Colombia, Venezuela; var. tsatchelae (Labiak) Lehnert in Costa Rica, Colombia and eastern Venezuela to Peru), which differs in having well developed hydathodes (vs. inconspicuous or seemingly absent in M. michaelis ) and clearly clathrate scales (vs. most cell lumina occluded).