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A new species, Lellingeria cantarensis, is described from the cloud forests of Cerro Jefe, an isolated mountain peak in central Panama known for its high levels of endemism and species diversity. It appears most similar to L. kaieteura and L. epiphytica, both of which also have dorsiventral rhizomes, clathrate rhizome scales with ciliate margins and abaxial hairs on the rachis. The new species is distinct from those two species, and from all other congeners, by its small laminae (less than 6 cm long), truncate laminar base, and the abaxial side of rachis is densely pubescent. Lellingeria subimpressa is also similar to L. cantarensis but it differs by having a glabrous rachis. None of the similar species are sympatric with L. cantarensis; they are restricted to Costa Rica, South America, or Caribbean Islands. A phylogenetic analysis using five plastid markers and 94 other grammitid taxa confirms the new species as sister to the Lellingeria suprasculpta clade with strong support. Lellingeria cantarensis is known only from the type and one additional collection from the type locality, and it is one of ten Lellingeria species found in Panama; it is also the only endemic Lellingeria in the country. We also provide a key to the species that occur in Panama and neighboring Costa Rica. With the addition of this new species, the total number of Lellingeria species becomes 51 worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Floristic surveys are crucial to the conservation of biodiversity, but the vast majority of such surveys are limited to listing species names, and few take into account the evolutionary history of species. Here, we combine classical taxonomic and molecular phylogenetic (DNA barcoding) approaches to catalog the biodiversity of pteridophytes (ferns and lycophytes) of the Nectandra Cloud Forest Reserve, Costa Rica. Surveys were carried out over three field seasons (2008, 2011, and 2013), resulting in 176 species representing 69 genera and 22 families of pteridophytes. Our literature survey of protected areas in Costa Rica shows that Nectandra has an exceptionally diverse pteridophyte flora for its size. Plastid rbcL was selected as a DNA barcode marker and obtained for >95% of pteridophyte taxa at this site. Combined molecular and morphological analyses revealed two previously undescribed taxa that appear to be of hybrid origin. The utility of rbcL for species identification was assessed by calculating minimum interspecific distances and found to have a failure rate of 18%. Finally we compared the distribution of minimum interspecific rbcL distances with two other areas that have been the focus of pteridophyte molecular surveys: Japan and Tahiti. The comparison shows that Nectandra is more similar to Japan than Tahiti, which may reflect the biogeographic history of these floras. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]