Pecluma ptilodon (Kunze) M.G.Price, Amer. Fern J.

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

Pecluma ptilodon (Kunze) M.G.Price, Amer. Fern J. 73(3): 115. 1983, var. ptilodon

= Polypodium ptilodon Kunze, Linnaea 9: 42. 1834, as “ ptiloton ”

Range: — Ecuador to Bolivia (CO, LP).

Ecology: —Epiphytic, less commonly on rocks or fallen logs, in humid forests; 500–1400 m.

Notes: —Intermediate in size between P. pilosa and P. robusta . Other similar species are P. camptophyllaria , which has evenly hairy abaxial blade surfaces, and P. eurybasis , which has glabrous abaxial blade surfaces and less strongly reduced proximal segments. Pecluma ptilodon is a diploid (spores ca. 41 μm long), here considered to include 2 varieties, the other one found in Mexico, Mesoamerica, Florida, and the Antilles.

Assis & Zimmer (2014) attempted to alter the spelling of the species epithet to Pecluma ptilota . They maintained that Kunze’s original Polypodium ptiloton was corrected erroneously to ptilodon by Hieronymus (1909), who altered the spelling from ptiloton to ptilodon as “mendo typographico” (p. 257). Hieronymus was clearly not speculating, or innovating, but rather making a definitive statement bolstered by a considerable amount of relevant literature, specimens, and other information. His correction was accepted by Christensen (1913: p. 257). Price (1983) accepted the Hieronymus correction in transferring the name to Pecluma , thus treating the epithet as a noun in apposition, and indeclinable. Assis and Zimmer (2014) contended that Kunze’s ptiloton was properly adjectival (“meaning winged or feathery”) and declinable, becoming ptilota under the feminine Pecluma . The matter appears still to be contentious and unresolved, as the spelling of the epithet has been further altered to “ ptilotos ” in IPNI (accessed 2 Feb 2017). We concur with Price (1983) that ptilodon is properly a noun in apposition, as treated by Hieronymus (1909), who knew Latin and Greek etymology well.