Stigmatodon vexatus (Leme) Leme & D.R. Couto, comb. nov. (Figs. 7 A–E)

Basionym: ___ Vriesea vexata Leme, Journal of the Bromeliad Society 66: 137. 2017.

Type:— BRAZIL. Minas Gerais: Alvarenga, Pico da Aliança, 1311 m elevation, 19º 23’ 36.16” S, 41º40’13.58” W, 12 October 2012, E. Leme 8704, R. Vasconcelos & R. Oliveira (holotype RB!) .

Etymology: ___ The name of this species is based on the Latin vexatus, meaning vexed, or annoyed, as a reference to its demure appearance even when in bloom, which makes Vriesea vexata hard to spot in its natural habitat.

Distribution and habitat:— Stigmatodon vexatus grows in an isolated Campos Rupestres within the Atlantic Forest Domain, in the municipality of Alvarenga, easternmost Minas Gerais state, about 1300 m elevation. It was observed on bare rocky outcrops in open areas of the highest parts of the mountain known as Pico da Aliança (1440 m elevation at summit), in the Doce River valley. The phytophysiognomy is similar to that of the Espinhaço range, where shrubby vegetation intermingled with herbaceous vegetation dominate the scenery, highlighting a large population of the endangered Vellozia gigantea Menezes & Mello-Silva (1999: 53) .

Preliminary conservation status: ___ Critically Endangered [CR B2ab (iii)]. Stigmatodon vexatus is a microendemic species (AOO= 4 km 2), known only from the type locality, being restricted to Pico da Aliança. In this area, it forms a small population, sparsely distributed on rocky outcrops, where only a few mature individuals could be located. The type locality is not situated within a protect area, and it is considered a local touristic attraction, which may represent an extra negative impact on its small population. Also, a large population of the invasive grass Melinis minutiflora Beauvois (1812: 54) is observed, which provides larger volumes of biomass to the system, increasing the intensity of periodical fires. Finally, the continuing impacts of fires, cattle, and agriculture in the surroundings, directly affect the quality of the habitat. For these reasons, we have preliminarly assessed S. vexatus as Critically Endangered.

Observations: ___ Stigmatodon vexatus is morphologically related to S. lancifolius, which is an endemic species from the Campos Rupestres of the Septentrional Plateau of the Espinhaço Range, in Bahia state. It differs from this species by its shorter size when flowering (ca. 23 cm vs. ca. 70 cm tall), peduncle bracts exceeding the internodes (vs. distinctly shorter than the internodes), shorter inflorescence (ca. 5 cm vs. 8–15 cm long), which is subdensely flowered (vs. laxly flowered), and by the larger floral bracts (17–20 mm vs. 8–12 mm long).