Spore morphology and ultrastructure of Cyathea (Cyatheaceae,Pteridophyta) species from southern South America

Spore sculpture and wall structure of eight Cyathea (Cyatheaceae) species from southern South America were studied using light microscopy (LM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques. Two layers, i.e. an inner and an outer layer, were observed in the perispore. The inner layer has two strata: the inner stratum is attached to the exospore and composed of rodlets tangentially oriented to the spore surface and randomly intermixed; the outer stratum consists of a three-dimensional network of rodlets with either free or fused distal edges forming spinules. The outer layer is thin, darkly contrasted and covers the rodlets. In most cases, the exospore has two layers and a pitted surface. In Cyathea atrovirens, the exospore surface is smooth, while in C. delgadii and C. myriotricha it is verrucate. The homogeneity of perispore features within the genus Cyathea is evident, while exospore features are heterogeneous. The exospore has different kinds of surface-structures that are of potential interest for assessing evolutionary trends within the group.     

A new species of dactyloid anole (Iguanidae, Polychrotinae, Anolis) from the southeastern slopes of the Andes of Ecuador

We describe a new species of Anolis from the southeastern slopes of the Andes of Ecuador, province of Zamora-Chinchipe, Parque Nacional Podocarpus. It belongs to (1) the aequatorialis species-group by being of moderate to large size with narrow toe lamellae, and (2) the eulaemus sub-group by having a typical Anolis digit, in which the distal lamellae of phalanx II distinctly overlap the proximal scales of phalanx I. The new species is most similar morphologically to Anolis fitchi but differs from it mainly by having a dewlap with longitudinal rows of 2-5 granular, minute scales separated by naked skin (longitudinal rows of one or two keeled, large scales separated by naked skin in Anolis fitchi) and a vertically shorter dewlap (longer dewlap in Anolis fitchi).     

New species, newly used names and new ranges of tree ferns (Filicales: Cyatheaceae) in the Neotropics

Two new species are described for the Neotropics, four species are newly accepted, and four species and one variety are reported. The new species are: Cyathea grayumii A. Rojas and C. panamensis A. Rojas. Cyathea alfonsiana L. D. Gómez, C. holdridgeana Nisman & L. D. Gómez, C. onusta H. Christ and C. squarrosa (Rosenst.) Domin are recognized; Cnemidaria coclena Stolze, Cyathea andina (H. Karst.) Domin, C. caracasana var. meridensis (H. Karst.) R. M. Tryon, C. macrosora (Baker) Domin and C. pseudonanna (L. D. Gómez) Lellinger are reported from Costa Rica and Panama.     

A new species of Alopoglossus lizard (Squamata,Gymnophthalmidae) from the tropical Andes,with a molecular phylogeny of the genus

We describe a new species of Alopoglossus from the Pacific slopes of the Andes in northern Ecuador based on morphological and molecular evidence. The new species differs most significantly from all other congeners in having a double longitudinal row of widened gular scales, lanceolate dorsal scales in transverse rows, 29–32 dorsal scales in a transverse row at midbody, and 4 longitudinal rows of ventrals at midbody. It is most similar in morphology to A. festae, the only species of Alopoglossus currently recognized in western Ecuador. We analyze the phylogenetic relationships among species of Alopoglossus based on the mitochondrial gene ND4. Cis-Andean [east of the Andes] and Trans-Andean [west of the Andes] species are nested in two separate clades, suggesting that the uplift of these mountains had an important effect in the diversification of Alopoglossus. In addition, we present an updated key to the species of Alopoglossus.     

New species in Adiantum and Pteris (Pteridaceae) from the Andes

We describe, discuss, and illustrate four new species, one inAdiantum (A. capillatum A. R. Sm. &; Prado, from Ecuador) and three species inPteris (P. lellingeri A. R. Sm. &; Prado, from Bolivia;P. venezuelensis A. R. Sm. &; Prado, from Venezuela; andP. websteri A. R. Sm. &; Prado, from Ecuador, Colombia, and Bolivia).     

The calanoid fauna (Crustacea,Copepoda) of the Cordillera Oriental of the Colombian Andes

Calanoid copepods belonging to four species and one subspecies from lakes and ponds mainly from the Cordillera Oriental (22) and Cordillera Central (1) of the Colombian Andes are recorded. Most of the water bodies studied are located in the páramo region, between 2996 and 4085 m altitude. The family Boeckellidae is recorded for the first time from Colombia. Taxonomic characteristics of Boeckella occidentalis Marsh, 1906, Boeckella gracilis (Daday,1902) and the diaptomid Prionodiaptomus colombiensis (Thiébaud, 1914) are discussed. A new diaptomid genus, Colombodiaptomus, with one species and one subspecies are established.     

New species and new records of the fern genus Terpsichore (Polypodiopsida: Polypodiaceae) from Bolivia

We describe five new species, report a new record for the genus Terpsichore, and provide a key to the Bolivian species.     

A new species of Securidaca (Polygalaceae) from sandstone outcrops in the Venezuelan Andes

A new species ofSecuridaca was found during the preparation of the Polygalaceae treatment for theNuevo Catálogo de la Flora de Venezuela.Securidaca fundacionensis, from La Fundación, in the Venezuelan Andes, is described, illustrated, and its morphological relationship with an allied species is discussed. This new species is similar toS. uniflora, but it differs by its terete branches; broadly ovate leaves; larger petioles, flowers, fruits; and flabellate-crested keel (abaxial) petal. An updated key to the 27 Venezuelan species ofSecuridaca is presented, and phytogeographical information about La Fundación is provided.

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Resumen  Una nueva especie del géneroSecuridaca fue encontrada durante la elaboración del tratamiento de la familia Polygalaceae para elNuevo, Catálogo de la Flora de Venezuela.Securidaca fundacionensis, del sector La Fundación, estado Táchira, Andes de Venezuela, es descrita, ilustrada y sus relaciones morfológicas con su especie afín son discutidas.S. fundacionensis es similar aS. uniflora, sin embargo, difiere de esta especie por poseer las ramas teretes; las hojas ampliamente ovadas; los pecíolos, las flores, y los frutos más grandes; y la quilla (el pétalo inferior) con una cresta flabelada. Se presenta una clave actualizada para diferenciar las 27 especies del géneroSecuridaca presentes en Venezuela y información general acerca la fitogeografía del sector La Fundación.

     

A new species of Drepanocnemis (Diptera,Muscidae) from Andes in Peru,with an updated phylogenetic analysis of species

Drepanocnemis Stein (Diptera, Muscidae) is a small genus of flies that occur in high altitudes in the Colombian Andes, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. Herein we describe Drepanocnemis aurifronssp. nov. from Cuzco, Peru, which is found from high (2904 m) to lower altitudes (707 m). An updated phylogeny, key to species and map of species’ distributions are provided, together with images and illustrations of the male and the female terminalia.     

Six new species and two new records of (Pteridophyta) from Costa Rica

Six new species of Pteridophyta from Costa Rica are described: Dryopteris flaccisquama A. Rojas, Hypolepis lellingeri A. Rojas, H. moraniana A. Rojas, Melpomene alan-smithii A. Rojas, Selaginella osa?nsis A. Rojas and Terpsichore esquiveliana A. Rojas. Blechnum stoloniferum (Mett. ex E. Fourn.) C. Chr. and Trichomanes micayense Hieron. are new records for the country. Only D. flaccisquama and M. alan-smithii are present outside Costa Rica.     

New species of ferns (Polypodiopsida) from Ecuador

The following new species of ferns are described and illustrated: Arachniodes squamulosa, Cyathea halonata, C. punctata, Polypodium fayorum , and Trichomanes paucisorum.     

Angiosperm flora and biogeography of the páramo region of Colombia,Northern Andes

Páramo is the neotropical high elevation ecosystem in the northern Andes and Central America consisting of multiple dissected open areas above 3000 m a.s.l. Complex evolutionary processes that occurred within these ecosystems gave rise to a unique tropical Andean flora. Previous phytogeographical classifications for Colombian páramos have been based on subjective assessments of species distributions. However, a detailed floristic analysis highlighting affinities between páramo regions in Colombia has not yet been proposed. The aim of this study is to provide an analytical scenario for the patterns of regional plant diversity in a hierarchical framework based on the biogeographical history of the páramos, based on 30 localities of the Colombian páramos. Parsimony analysis of endemicity (PAE) and Jaccard similarity indices were applied to a presence/absence data matrix of páramo angiosperm species. Altitudinal distribution of species was used to determine the percentage of the páramo flora endemic to this ecosystem. Genera are shared among páramos, whereas species composition is highly endemic. 86% of the páramo angiosperm plant species is endemic to this ecosystem. The Colombian Páramo areas can be grouped using PAE into five biogeographical units, based on angiosperm species composition. These are: (1) Páramos de la Cordillera Oriental; (2) Páramos de la Cordillera Central and Macizo Colombiano; (3) Páramos de Antioquia; (4) Páramos del Norte; (5) Páramos de la Cordillera Occidental.     

New species of the subtribe Goodyerinae (Orchidaceae) from Colombia

Seven new species of the subtribe Goodyerinae, six of Microchilus and one of Aspidogyne, are described and illustrated based on Colombian material. The information about the distribution and ecology of the new entities as well as brief taxonomic notes are provided.     

Pubescence,floral temperature and fecundity in species of Puya (Bromeliaceae) in the Ecuadorian Andes

Summary The effects of inflorescence pubescence on floral temperatures and fecundity were examined in four species of Puya in the Ecuadorian Andes. These species span an elevational range from 1,980–4,000 m and comparisons among these species showed that pubescence production increases significantly with elevation. Flower temperatures of glabrous or slightly pubescent species of Puya from lower elevations closely tracked air temperature, while those of the pubescent páramo species did not. Pubescence removal experiments on Puya hamata, a páramo species, demonstrated that pubescence is an effective insulator, maintaining elevated flower temperatures. In Puya clava-herculis (also a páramo species) elevated flower temperatures were associated with higher seed set. Thus, the greater production of inflorescence pubescence in páramo species of Puya may be an important factor contributing to reproductive success in these higher elevation species.     

Description and phylogeny of three new species of Synophis (Colubridae,Dipsadinae) from the tropical Andes in Ecuador and Peru

The discovery of three new species of Synophis snakes from the eastern slopes of the tropical Andes in Ecuador and Peru is reported. All previous records of Synophis bicolor from eastern Ecuador correspond to Synophis bogerti sp. n., which occurs between 1000–1750 m along a large part of the Amazonian slopes of the Ecuadorian Andes. In contrast, Synophis zamora sp. n. is restricted to southeastern Ecuador, including Cordillera del Cóndor, between 1543–1843 m. Synophis insulomontanus sp. n. is from the eastern slopes of the Andes in central and northern Peru, between 1122–1798 m, and represents the first record of Synophis from this country. All three new species share in common a large lateral spine at the base of the hemipenial body. A molecular phylogenetic tree based on three mitochondrial genes is presented, including samples of Diaphorolepis wagneri. Our tree strongly supports Synophis and Diaphorolepis as sister taxa, as well as monophyly of the three new species described here and Synophis calamitus. Inclusion of Synophis and Diaphorolepis within Dipsadinae as sister to a clade containing Imantodes, Dipsas, Ninia, Hypsiglena and Pseudoleptodeira is also supported.     

Positive associations between the cushion plant Azorella monantha (Apiaceae) and alpine plant species in the Chilean Patagonian Andes

Low growing, compact cushion plants are a common and often dominant life form in temperate and subpolar alpine habitats. The cushion life-form can modify wind patterns, temperature and water availability and thus cushion species could be expected to act as nurse-plants facilitating the establishment of other alpine plant species on their surfaces. It has been suggested that the nurse effect should be most pronounced under more stressful environmental conditions, as found with increasing elevation in the alpine. One of the approaches used to detect the nurses has been the study of spatial associations among species, in which extreme clumping within or beneath one species has been interpreted as evidence of nursing. We characterized microclimatic conditions (soil and air temperature) within and outside cushions of Azorella monantha at two elevations (700 m a.s.l., corresponding to an elevation just above treeline, and 900 m a.s.l., corresponding to the upper limit of the cushion belt zone) on Cerro Diente in the Patagonian alpine of southern South America (50° S) and recorded all plant species growing upon cushions of various sizes and for paired sampling areas of equivalent sizes outside cushions. At 5 cm depth, soil temperature was slightly higher under cushions than under bare ground, but only significantly so at 900 m. Air temperature at ground level was significantly higher in the cushion microhabitat at both 700 m and 900 m, with the difference being more exaggerated at the highest elevation. At 700 m, a total of 27 species were recorded growing within cushions as compared to 29 outside cushions. At 900 m the corresponding numbers were 34 and 18. At the highest elevation, significantly more species grow within cushions than for equal areas outside cushions. Here moreover, 17 (48.6%) species grew preferentially within cushions, with eight of the latter being limited to the cushion microhabitat at this elevation. However, at 700 m there was no significant difference in species richness in the two microhabitats, and only one species (3.1%) grew preferentially on cushions. Considering individual species, nine occurring at both elevations showed non-preferential recruitment on cushions at 700 m, but significantly higher frequencies on cushions at 900 m. Results suggest striking altitudinal variation in the association with Azorella monantha on Cerro Diente, ranging from a very strong at 900 m to near absence at 700 m. Milder air and soil temperatures, shelter from wind, and greater water availability within cushions as opposed to outside cushions are discussed as possible factors favoring strong plant recruitment on cushions at higher elevations in the harsh Patagonian alpine environment. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

New species of Ericaceae (Vaccinieae) from the Andes of Bolivia and Peru

Eight new Ericaceae (Vaccinieae) from Bolivia and Peru are described, illustrated, and discussed: Orthaea madidiensis, Themistoclesia geniculata, Themistoclesia idiocalyx, Themistoclesia siranensis, Themistoclesia tunquiniensis, Themistoclesia woytkowskii, Thibaudia acacioides, and Thibaudia yungensis.