A revised generic classification of vittarioid ferns (Pteridaceae) based on molecular, micromorphological, and geographic data
Abstract
© International Association for Plant Taxonomy (IAPT) 2016. Vittarioid ferns compose
a well-supported clade of 100-130 species of highly simplified epiphytes in the family
Pteridaceae. Generic circumscriptions within the vittarioid clade were among the first
in ferns to be evaluated and revised based on molecular phylogenetic data. Initial
analyses of rbcL sequences revealed strong geographic structure and demonstrated that
the two largest vittarioid genera, as then defined, each had phylogenetically distinct
American and Old World components. The results of subsequent studies that included
as many as 36 individuals of 33 species, but still relied on a single gene, were generally
consistent with the early findings. Here, we build upon the previous datasets, incorporating
many more samples (138 individuals representing 72 species) and additional plastid
markers (atpA, chlN, rbcL, rpoA). Analysis of our larger dataset serves to better
characterize known lineages, reveals new lineages, and ultimately uncovers an underlying
geographic signal that is even stronger than was previously appreciated. In our revised
generic classification, we recognize a total of eleven vittarioid genera. Each genus,
including the new genus Antrophyopsis (Benedict) Schuettp., stat. nov., is readily
diagnosable based on morphology, with micromorphological characters related to soral
paraphyses and spores complementing more obvious features such as venation and the
distribution of sporangia. A key to the currently recognized vittarioid genera, brief
generic descriptions, and five new species combinations are provided.
Type
Journal articleSubject
Science & TechnologyLife Sciences & Biomedicine
Plant Sciences
Evolutionary Biology
Africa
epiphytes
paraphyses
phylogeny
pteridophytes
spores
taxonomic revision
PHYLOGENY
HAPLOPTERIS
INFERENCE
ALIGNMENT
EVOLUTION
MRBAYES
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https://hdl.handle.net/10161/21750Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.12705/654.2Publication Info
Schuettpelz, E; Chen, C; Kessler, M; Pinson, JB; Johnson, G; Davila, A; ... Pryer,
KM (2016). A revised generic classification of vittarioid ferns (Pteridaceae) based on molecular,
micromorphological, and geographic data. Taxon, 65(4). pp. 708-722. 10.12705/654.2. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/21750.This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this
article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.
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Kathleen M. Pryer
Professor of Biology

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