New Circumscription of the Endemic Brazilian GenusActinocephalus(Eriocaulaceae)

Based initially on the morphological similarity between species belonging to Actinocephalus (Korn.) Sano and Paepalanthus Mart. subsect. Aphorocaulon Ruhland (Eriocaulaceae), these taxa were studied to clarify their relationships. After intensive fieldwork and morphological analyses of specimens belonging to Paepalanthus subsect. Aphorocaulon and Actinocephalus, we conclude that Paepalanthus subsect. Aphorocaulon and Actinocephalus should not be classified as different taxa. This taxonomic opinion is confirmed by published phylogenetic morphological and molecular data. We propose herein to include species of Paepalanthus subsect. Aphorocaulon in Actinocephalus. Thus nomenclatural and taxonomic changes are proposed in Actinocephalus and Paepalanthus with the following 16 new combinations: A. actinocephaloides (Silveira) F. N. Costa [≡ P. actinocephaloides Silveira], A. arenicola (Silveira) F. N. Costa [≡ P. arenicola Silveira], A. armeria (Mart. ex Korn.) F. N. Costa [≡ P. armeria Mart. ex Korn....