Polystichum lilianae sp. nov. (Dryopteridaceae) and its relationships to P. fournieri and P. turrialbae

Morphological, isozyme, and cytological analyses of the small, pale-scaled polystichums from oakdominated montane rain forests in Costa Rica and Mexico reveal the presence of a separable undescribed species endemic to the Cordillera de Talamanca of Costa Rica. The new taxon,Polystichum lilianae, is an allotetraploid hypothesized to have the sympatricP. turrialbae as one diploid progenitor based on isozyme characters. The isozyme and morphometric data also support the inclusion ofP. smithii, described from southern Mexico, inP. turrialbae, described from Costa Rica. The namePolystichum fournieri, formerly used for all of these plants, applies to species endemic to Oaxaca and Chiapas, Mexico. It is not a progenitor ofP. lilianae.     

New genera and species of ericaceae (Vaccinieae) from Costa Rica and Panama

Two new monotypic genera,Didonica andUtleya, are described, withD. pendula from Panama andU. costaricensis from Costa Rica.Disterigma trimera (Panama),D. utleyorum (Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, and Ecuador),Lateropora santafeensis (Panama),Lysiclesia panamensis (Panama),Macleania talamancensis (Costa Rica),Themistoclesia costaricensis (Costa Rica) andT. horquetensis (Panama),Vaccinium costaricense andV. orosiense (both from Costa Rica) and V.jefense (Panama) are all described as new. New combinations are provided for the PanamanianVaccinium floccosum (=Symphysia floccosa) and the West IndianVaccinium racemosum (=Symphysia racemosa). Keys are provided for the Central American species ofDisterigma andThemistoclesia, the species ofLateropora andLysiclesia, and the Costa Rican and Panamanian species ofVaccinium. Six new species are illustrated.     

Lomariopsis ×farrarii: a new hybrid fern between L. japurensis and L. vestita (Lomariopsidaceae) from Costa Rica

A new hybrid,Lomariopsis ×farrarii, is illustrated and described from the La Selva Biological Station, Costa Rica. It is intermediate between its parents,L. japurensis andL. vestita in length and color of the rhizome scales, shape and number of the pinnae, and size and division of the juvenile leaves in a heteroblastic series.     

Five new species of Heteropterys (Malpighiaceae) from Central and South America

Five-new taxa ofHeteropterys H. B. K. subsect.Aptychia Nied. are described, illustrated, and mapped:H. andina from Peru;H. minutiflora from Costa Rica; andH. bullata, H. capixaba, andH. oberdanii, from the Atlantic coastal forest of Brazil. The affinities and diagnostic characters of each species are discussed.     

ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS TO THE FOLIICOLOUS LICHEN FLORA OF COSTA RICA. THE FAMILY ARTHONIACEAE,WITH NOTES ON THE GENUSSTIRTONIA

The taxonomy of the foliicolous members of Arthoniaceae (Arthonia, Arthothelium, Cryptothecia, Ermothecella) in Costa Rica is revised.Cryptothecia farkasiaesp. nov. is described, being closely related toStirtonia sprucei, and bearing pycnidia reminiscent ofEremothecella. Arthonia lividofuscais placed in synonymy withA. aciniformis. Pycnidia and pycnospores are further described forArthonia leptosperma, A. cyanea, A. palmulacea, A. trilocularis, Arthothelium cingulatum, Stirtonia spruceiandS. macrocephala, and campylidia were found on thalli ofArthonia aciniformis. Arthonia nigratulaandCryptothecia candidaare reported for the first time from Costa Rica, and new localities are given for previously reported species. Ecological data are provided, and the relationships between foliicolous members of the Arthoniaceae are discussed.     

Typification of Radlkofer's infrageneric names in Paullinia L. (Sapindaceae)

Ancillary to my revision ofPaullinia, the necessary lectotypifications for Radlkofer's infrageneric names are proposed. Those sectional names requiring lectotypification areNeurotoechus, Diphtherotoechus, Pleurotoechus, Pachytoechus, Xyloptilon, Neuroptilon, Anisoptilon, Isoptilon, Caloptilon, andPhygoptilon. SectionCryptoptilon, monotypic at the time of publication, is typified automatically byP. verrucosa Radlk. The generic namesEnourea andCastanella, reduced by Radlkofer to sectional status, retain their types.     

The Phyllodonta latrata (Guenée) species group in Costa Rica (Geometridae,Ennominae)

Historically, the name Phyllodonta latrata (Guenée) has been applied to what is a complex of three undescribed species in Costa Rica. They are very similar in maculation, but can be differentiated by genitalic characters and barcodes. P. alajuela Sullivan, sp. n. occurs at lower altitudes in the northwestern part of Costa Rica whereas P. intermediata Sullivan, sp. n. and P. esperanza Sullivan, sp. n. are found at partially overlapping altitudes in the central mountain ranges.     

Some Entolomataceae (Agaricales) from Costa Rica

A preliminary account of Entolomataceae from Costa Rica is presented. Three new taxa are described, two inClitopilus, one inRhodocybe, and three new combinations are proposed inInocephalus. Five taxa ofClitopilus are reported for the first time from Costa Rica and a key to species is provided. Four species ofRhodocybe are discussed and a key to the six species known from Costa Rica is also provided.Alboleptonia earlei, Inocephalus murraii, Inocephalus quadratum, Rhodocybe incarnata andRhodocybe pseudonitellina are now known to occur in Costa Rica.     

Some ascomycetes (fungi) occurring on tropical ferns

The new combination Eudimeriolum cyathearum is proposed for Dimeriella cyathearum; the fungus is found on pinnae of Cyathea caudata in the Philippine Islands. Dimeriella polypodii is described from scales on pinnae of Polypodium montigenum and P. madrense in Mexico. Bioscypha cyatheae, on pinnae of Cyathea sp. in Costa Rica, is redescribed. Bioscypha pteridicola is described from pinnae of Cnemidaria uleana var. abitaguensis in Colombia. Crocicreas sessilis is described from pinnae of Cyathea divergens var. tuerckheimii in Mexico.     

A synopsis of the neotropical genus Pentaplaris, with remarks on its systematic position within core Malvales

Pentaplaris davidsmithii from Peru and Bolivia andP. huaoranica from Ecuador are described and compared to the only other species previously known in the genus,P. doroteae from Costa Rica. Morphological and palynological characters support the inclusion ofPentaplaris in core Malvales while suggesting that the original assumption that the genus belonged in Tiliaceae-Brownlowieae cannot be maintained.Pentaplaris, which comprises three isolated and evidently rare species, probably belongs to the malvoid-bombacoid alliance, but its position within this clade ramains unresolved.     

Three new species of Elleanthus (Orchidaceae) from Central America

Elleanthus stolonifer andE. tillandsioides are new species in theE. poiformis complex of sectionChloidelyna.Elleanthus lentii is a new species in sectionStachydelyna. Elleanthus stolonifer is widespread in the mountains of Costa Rica and Panama;E. tillandsioides is found only in the lowland forests of southeastern Costa Rica;E. lentii is limited to the Cordillera de Guanacaste of Costa Rica.     

Description of Pratylenchus gutierrezi n. sp. (Nematoda: Pratylenchidae) from Coffee in Costa Rica

A lesion nematode, Pratylenchus gutierrezi n. sp., collected from the roots of coffee in the Central Plateau of Costa Rica, is described and illustrated. Its relationships to Pratylenchus flakkensis, P. similis, and P. gibbicaudatus, the only other species of the genus having two head annules, males, or spermatheca with sperm, and an annulated tail terminus, is discussed. Other distinctive characters are its posterior vulva (mean of 80%); its prominently rounded stylet knobs, low head, and subcylindrical tail. SEM observations provide additional details of females and males, especially face views, which show for the first time sexual dimorphism.     

Notes on central American aristolochiaceae

Aristolochia pfeiferi, from Panama, andA. cruenta, from Costa Rica, are described.A. chapmaniana Standl. is placed in synonymy underA. tonduzii Schmidt,A. belizensis Lundell is placed in synonymy underA. ovalifolia Duchartre, andA. petenensis Lundell is placed in synonymy underA. bullata Pfeifer. The status ofA. steyermarkii Standl. is reevaluated.     

Castilleja (Scrophulariaceae) of Costa Rica and Panama

The mountains of Costa Rica and western Panama constitute a natural floristic region that is inhabited by six species ofCastilleja.Castilleja talamancensis, C. lentii andC. tayloriorum are described as new. The remaining three areC. arvensis,C. irasuensis andC. quirosii. All butC. arvensis are endemic to the area. The six species are keyed, described, illustrated, mapped and documented with literature and specimen citations.     

Unexplored Character Diversity in Onychophora (Velvet Worms): A Comparative Study of Three Peripatid Species

Low character variation among onychophoran species has been an obstacle for taxonomic and phylogenetic studies in the past, however we have identified a number of new and informative characters using morphological, molecular, and chromosomal techniques. Our analyses involved a detailed examination of Epiperipatus biolleyi from Costa Rica, Eoperipatus sp. from Thailand, and a new onychophoran species and genus from Costa Rica, Principapillatus hitoyensis gen. et sp. nov.. Scanning electron microscopy on embryos and specimens of varying age revealed novel morphological characters and character states, including the distribution of different receptor types along the antennae, the arrangement and form of papillae on the head, body and legs, the presence and shape of interpedal structures and fields of modified scales on the ventral body surface, the arrangement of lips around the mouth, the number, position and structure of crural tubercles and anal gland openings, and the presence and shape of embryonic foot projections. Karyotypic analyses revealed differences in the number and size of chromosomes among the species studied. The results of our phylogenetic analyses using mitochondrial COI and 12S rRNA gene sequences are in line with morphological and karyotype data. However, our data show a large number of unexplored, albeit informative, characters in the Peripatidae. We suggest that analysing these characters in additional species would help unravel species diversity and phylogeny in the Onychophora, and that inconsistencies among most diagnostic features used for the peripatid genera in the literature could be addressed by identifying a suite of characters common to all peripatids.     

A new section of Protium from the neotropics. Studies in neotropical Burseraceae XIII

Protium sectionPepeanthos, a neotropical group of nine species ranging from Costa Rica to the southern perimeter of Amazonia, is described, as are the group's five new species:P. calendulinum, P. gallosum, P. pecuniosum, P. retusum, andP. urophyllidium. Keys are provided to flowering and to fruiting material. The new section is characterized by a milky resin; lateral leaflet pulvinuli inconspicuous or absent; style short-branched and the stigmas caudiculate and spiculate; and the cotyledons plano-convex.     

Quararibea (Bombacaceae): Five new species from moist and wet forests of Costa Rica and Panama

Five new species ofQuararibea from costa Rica and Panama are described and illustrated, with notes on their ecology and relationships.Quararibea gomeziana, Q. pendula, andQ. santaritensis are from the Caribbean lowlands of the Provinces of Limón, Costa Rica, and of Bocas del Toro and Colón, Panama.Quararibea aurantiocalyx andQ. costaricensis are from montane habitats of Panama and Costa Rica. The exceptionally long pedicels ofQ. pendula far exceed those of other known members ofQuararibea and may prove to be the most striking example of adaptation to bat pollination and fruit dispersal in the genus.Quararibea costaricensis, a relatively common species, has long been erroneously identified asQ. platyphylla, a much rarer inhabitant of the same region.     

Taxonomic revision of the Neotropical stalk-eyed fly Plagiocephalus Wiedemann (Diptera,Ulidiidae, Ulidiinae)

Plagiocephalus is a genus composed of three species mainly recognized by the males with stalked-eyes. Plagiocephalus lobularis is distributed from Northeastern Brazil to North of Argentina, P. latifrons is distributed from Mexico to Bolivia, and P. intermedius occurs in Costa Rica. We review the species of the genus, providing new diagnostic characters, an identification key, and new information on the terminalia of Plagiocephalus. Also, we update the geographic distribution of the species of the genus.     

Two new species of Blechnum (Blechnaceae) from the neotropics

Blechnum moranianum is a new species similar toB. loxense, andB. nigrum is segregated from theB. fragile complex. Both are described and illustrated as result of the author's taxonomic fern work in Costa Rica. Blechnum moranianum es una especie nueva similar aB. loxense, yB. nigrum es segregada del complejoB. fragile. Ambas son aquí descritas e ilustradas como resultado de los trabajos taxonómicos del autor en los helechos de Costa Rica.     

Lepanthes variabilis (Orchidaceae: Pleurothallidinae), a new endemic species from Costa Rica

Lepanthes variabilis, a new species from Costa Rica, is described and illustrated. It is endemic to the northern part of the Talamanca mountain range, from 2750–2850 m. It is compared to the similar L. minutilabia, which also occurs in Costa Rica.