ABSTRACT

Tmesipteris alticola is described here as a new fern species endemic to New Caledonia's Grande Terre. It is a fifth species of Tmesipteris for the territory, and the second endemic. The obovate leaves and conic synangia of T. alticola distinguish it morphologically from all other species of Tmesipteris. Phylogenetic analyses of chloroplast DNA sequences support its distinctiveness, and indicate it is most closely related to T. truncata and T. vieillardii among the sampled species. Tmesipteris alticola is known from only four mountainous locations, all with ultramafic substrates in Province Sud, at elevations of 1200 m–1500 m, where it grows terrestrially or as a low epiphyte, seemingly mostly on ridges or around summits within short-statured cloud forest. We propose a provisional IUCN conservation status of Near Threatened for T. alticola because of its limited known occurrences. Tmesipteris alticola adds to a slew of fern species that have been recently newly described, reinstated, or recorded in New Caledonia.

摘要

Tmesipteris alticola在此被描述为新喀里多尼亚 Grande Terre 特有的一种新蕨类植物。它是该地区第五种Tmesipteris ，也是第二个特有物种。T. alticola的倒卵形叶子和圆锥形脉管在形态上将其与Tmesipteris的所有其他物种区分开来。叶绿体 DNA 序列的系统发育分析支持其独特性，并表明它与采样物种中的T. truncata和T. vieillardii关系最密切。山毛蕨仅在四个山区地区已知，这些地区均具有超镁铁质基质，位于南部省，海拔为 1200 m-1500 m，在那里它生长在陆地或作为低附生植物，似乎主要生长在矮小的云林内的山脊或山顶周围。由于已知的数量有限，我们建议将T. alticola暂时置于 IUCN 近危保护状态。Tmesipteris alticola增加了新喀里多尼亚最近新描述、恢复或记录的一系列蕨类植物物种。