Ctenitis (C. Chr.) C. Chr. contains about150 species distributed in the New and OldWorld wet tropics (Mickel & Smith, 2004).About 15 species are recorded for Brazil(Christensen, 1913; Rosenstock, 1915;Brade, 1972; Sehnem, 1979; Salino &Morais, 2003), most of them in Atlantic RainForest areas. During a study carried out bythe senior author in the Vila Velha State Park,we found a new species apparently endemicto the Devonian Sandstone Steep in ParanáState, southern Brazil. The vegetation in thePark is represented mainly by Araucariaforests and natural grasslands, which arepresent because of the temperate weather andrelatively high elevations in the region (to1100 meters). The sandstone formation con-sists of peculiar canyons created by wind andwater erosion, resulting in shady, humid envi-ronments that allow a rich fern flora to de-velop, one very different from the surround-ing vegetation.

Ctenitis bigarellae Schwartsburd, Labiak &Salino, sp. nov. Type: Brazil. Paraná:Ponta Grossa, Parque Estadual de VilaVelha, 25°13'S, 49°59'W, 1000 m, 28 Oct2005, Schwartsburd, Assis, von Linsingen& Peres 944 (holotype: MBM; isotypes:UC , UPCB). (Figs. 1, 2)

Plantae vere rupicolae sive rare terrestres. Rhizomataerecta sive decumbentia. Frondes caespitosae, monomor-phae; laminae 1-pinnato-pinnatisectae, membranaceae,32–40 × 8–15 cm; pinnae medianae 3.5–7 × 1.3–1.9 cm,brevi-acuminatae; rhachides et costae vestitae pilisrubro-articulatis et paleis ovato-acuminatis, 2 × 0.5 mm;segmenta 5–8 paribus nervorum indivisorum; interve-nium vestitae pilis brevibus et filiformibus. Sori submar-ginales. Affinis Ctenitis abyssi (Sehnem) Salino &Morais, sed rhizoma erectum vel decumbenti, interveniovestita pilis brevibus filiformibus differt.

Plants epipetric, rarely terrestrial. Rhizomeserect or decumbent; rhizome scales lightbrown,concolorous, sub-clathrate, linear-acuminate tooval-acuminate, margins ciliate, 2–6mm long.Fronds monomorphic, clumped; fertile blades38–80 × 8–15cm; stipes brownish, to 38 × 0.1–0.2cm, short-pubescent with catenate and uni-cellular hairs with rounded apices, scales linear-lanceolate to ovate-acuminate, subclathrate(cell walls reddish, lumina translucent), slightlyciliate, to 2 × 0.5mm, sparse; blades 1-pinnate-pinnatisect, lanceolate, membranaceous, lightgreen, 32–40 × 8–15cm, lamina apex pinnati-sect; rachises adaxially sulcate, abaxially withscales similar to those of stipes, catenate hairspresent on both sides; pinnae lanceolate, eachwith apex slightly acuminate, 18–20 pairs,stalked to 1mm, 3.5–7 × 1.3–1.9cm, basal pairreflexed, a little shorter than the ones above;costae with scales, unicellular filiform hairs andsparse catenate hairs abaxially, adaxially with

A new species of Ctenitis (Dryopteridaceae) from southern Brazil

Pedro Bond Schwartsburd1,2, Paulo Henrique Labiak1,3, andAlexandre Salino4

1 Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curso de Pós-Graduação em Botânica, C.P. 19031, 81531-980,Curitiba, PR, Brazil; 2 e-mail: pedrophyta@uol.com.br; 3 e-mail: plabiak@ufpr.br

4 Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil; e-mail: salino@icb.ufmg.br

Abstract. Ctenitis bigarellae, a new species from Paraná State, is described. It ap-pears to be narrow endemic to Paraná, growing on peculiar sandstone formations, be-tween 900 and 1000 meters. A description and illustrations are provided, as well ascomments on the closest related species.

Key words: Araucaria forest, Brazil, Ctenitis, fern, Paraná, pteridophytes, sand-stone formation.

Brittonia, 59(1), 2007, pp. 29–32. ISSUED: 30 March 2007© 2007, by The New York Botanical Garden Press, Bronx, NY 10458-5126 U.S.A.

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Fig. 1. Ctenitis bigarellae. A. Habit. B. Pinnae (abaxial surface) showing sori and veins. C. Segment (abaxialsurface). D. Rhizome scale with ciliate margin. (From the holotype.)

2007] schwartsburd et al.: ctenitis (dryopteridaceae) 31

FIG. 2. Ctenitis bigarellae. A. Rachis with hairs and scales. B. Central cells of the rachis scales. C. Marginalcells of the rachis scale. D. Rhizome scale with ciliate margin. E. Hairs of the rachis. F. Hairs on the abaxial laminasurface. G. Hairs on the adaxial lamina surface. H. Ciliate indusia. (From the holotype.)

catenate hairs; segments oblong, often obtuse,margins crenate with unicellular filiform hairs;laminae between veins with unicellular filiformhairs on both sides, hairs conspicuous adaxi-ally; costules with catenate hairs adaxially andwith sparse unicellular filiform hairs and cate-nate hairs abaxially; veins unforked, usuallyreaching the margin, 5 to 8 pairs per segment,lowermost pairs from adjacent segments endingat the margins well above the sinuses, withcatenate and unicellular filiform hairs adaxiallyand with sparse unicellular filiform hairs abaxi-ally; sori submarginal, indusia ciliate, fuga-cious; spores not seen.

Distribution and ecology. Endemic toParaná State, southern Brazil. Epipetric orrarely terrestrial on sandstone formations of theDevonian Steep.

Etymology. The specific epithet bigarellaehonors Dr. João José Bigarella, one of mostimportant geologists studying the DevonianSteep in southern Brazil.

Additional specimens examined. BRAZIL. Paraná:Castro, Catanduvas de Fora, 13 Mar 1993, Moro s.n.(HUPG 7292); Ponta Grossa, Parque Estadual de VilaVelha, 22 Dec 2004, Schwartsburd & Takeuchi 565 (NY,BHCB), 06 Mar 2005, Schwartsburd et al. 680 (PACA,RB), 15 May 2005, Schwartsburd & Nogueira Jr. 778(BHCB, HUPG, UPCB), Schwartsburd & Nogueira Jr.776 (SP).

Ctenitis bigarellae can be recognized byits epipetric habit, membranaceous lamina,the distribution of indument on both sides ofthe lamina, margins, and veins, as well as byits submarginal sori, and ciliate fugacious in-dusia. The most closely related species inBrazil is probably C. abyssi (Sehnem) Salino& Morais, distinguished by its short-creepingrhizomes, the absence of hairs on the laminartissue, scales on rachises to 4 mm long withbullate bases, toothed segment margins, andby its long-acuminate pinna apices (short-acuminate in C. bigarellae). Ctenitis abyssi isknown only from Taimbé canyon, in the stateof Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil, whereit grows on basalt.

Ctenitis nigrovenia (H. Christ) Copel., awidespread species from southern México toPeru (in Brazil known only in Amazonian re-gion), resembles C. bigarellae by its seg-ments with crenate margins and basal veinsof segments ending at the margin well above

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the sinus. Ctenitis nigrovenia differs byglabrous lamina margins, linear to filiformscales with an expanded or sub-bullate baseon the rachises and costae, and veins usually1-forked in crenate segments.

Ctenitis bigarellae closely resembles Dry-opteris falciculata Raddi var. elongata Rosenst.(Rosenstock, 1915) in the blade and pinnashape (lanceolate), and pinnae with hairs onboth sides. However, D. falciculata var. elon-gata has rhizome scales with entire margins,chartaceous blades, and segments with entiremargins, rarely crenate. Perhaps D. falciculatavar. elongata is specifically distinct from Cteni-tis falciculata (Raddi) Ching, but further studiesare needed to clarify its relationships.

Ctenitis falciculata (Raddi) Ching is one ofthe most common species in the area thatcould be confused with C. bigarellae. It differsby its dark, rigid, linear scales on the stipe andrachises, chartaceous blades, as well as by theabsence of filiform hairs on laminar tissue.

Acknowledgments

We thank Diana Carneiro for preparing theillustrations; Dr. Alan Smith for his com-ments on the manuscript; Instituto Ambientaldo Paraná (IAP) for providing the research li-cense; Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento dePessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) for pro-viding the Master’s scholarship for the seniorauthor; and the biologists who helped in thefield expeditions, especially Msc. MiodelliNogueira Jr.

Literature Cited

Brade, A. C. 1972. O gênero “Dryopteris” (Pterido-phyta) no Brasil e sua divisão taxonômica. Bradea22: 191–261.

Christensen, C. 1913. A monograph of the genus Dry-opteris. Part I. The tropical American pinnatifid-bipinnatifid species. Kongelige Danske Vidensk-abernes Selskabs Skrifter Naturdidenskabeliger ogMathematisk Afdeling 10: 55–282.

Mickel, J. T. & A. R Smith. 2004. The pteridophytes ofMexico. Memoirs of The New York Botanical Gar-den 88: 1–1055.

Rosenstock, E. 1915. Filices brasiliensis novae. Hed-wigia 56: 355–371.

Salino, A. & P. O. Morais. 2003. New combinations inthe tropical American Ctenitis (Tectariaceae). Ameri-can Fern Journal 93: 32–35.

Sehnem, A. 1979. Aspidiáceas. In: P. R. Reitz (ed.),Flora Ilustrada Catarinense. Herbário Barbosa Ro-drigues, Itajaí.