Elaphoglossum discolor ( Kuhn ) C . Chr . ( Dryopteridaceae , Polypodiales , Monilophyta ) : first record for the state of Mato Grosso do Sul , Brazil

Elaphoglossum discolor was recently discovered and collected on the Urucum plateau of the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul, lying in the western outskirts of the Pantanal flood plain. This is the southernmost distribution of E. discolor in Brazil.

Dryopteridaceae Herter is a fern family of pantropical distribution (Tryon and Tryon 1982) comprising 30-35 genera and about 1,700 species, most of which (ca. 70%) belonging to one of the four richest genera: Ctenitis, Dryopteris, Elaphoglossum e Polystichum (Smith et al. 2008).In Brazil Dryopteridaceae includes ca.170 species mainly distributed in South and Southeastern regions, with 40% belong to the genus Elaphoglossum (Prado et al. 2015).
Elaphoglossum Schott ex.J. Sm. is one of the most diverse genera of ferns, comprising ca.600 species, and is mostly distributed in cloud forests (Moran 1995;Vasco and Moran 2015).The center of diversity for the genus is the Neotropic region, which includes threequarters of all species (Mickel and Smith 2004).More specifically, the Andean regions between Colombia and Bolivia have the highest number of Elaphoglossum species (Tryon and Tryon 1982).In Brazil, about 85% of Elaphoglossum species occur in montane habitats of South and Southeastern regions (Windisch and Kieling-Rubio 2015).Smith et al. (2008) reported that many Elaphoglossum species are yet to be described, which is supported by the recent publications of Melo and Salino (2011) and Kieling-Rubio and Windisch (2012), indicating that the diversity of this genus in Brazil may be significantly higher than currently recognized.
The present study reports the first record of Elaphoglossum discolor (Kuhn) C.Chr. for the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil.
The present study was carried out in the Urucum plateau region (19°12ʹ1.20ʺS, 057°36ʹ14.54ʺW), western outskirts of the Pantanal flood plain, Mato Grosso do Sul state.The examined material (Brazil: Mato Grosso do Sul: Corumbá, July 2012, Morro São Domingos -Maciço do Urucum, C.R.Lehn, 1203) was deposited in the herbarium CGMS of the Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul and duplicates were sent to the herbarium SP in the Instituto de Botânica de São Paulo.The material was sent for expert identification.
Elaphoglossum discolor is a herbaceous species, with an ascending rhizome clothed in linear-lanceolate scales, sterile fronds ovoid-lanceolate with maximum size to 25 cm and fertile fronds lanceolate-shaped with maximum size to 35 cm (Figure 1).According to Brade (1965), the closest relative of E. discolor is E. riparium Brade, which occur only in Goiás state in the central plateau of the Brazilian shield and is distinguished from E. discolor by equal-sized sterile and fertile fronds.
Previous occurrence records for Elaphoglossum discolor were restricted to the Amazonian forest in the states of Acre, Amazonas, Roraima and Mato Grosso (Brade 2003;Windisch and Kieling-Rubio 2015).According to Pott et al. (2011), the Pantanal region is influenced by its surrounding phytogeographical provinces (of which

Notes oN GeoGraphic DistributioN
the Amazon forest is obviously important), which could explain the establishment of E. discolor in the area.The headwaters of several tributary rivers of the Rio Paraguai (the main river of the Pantanal basin) are located in the outskirts of the Amazon basin, creating a potential corridor for Amazonian species throughout the Pantanal (Pott et al. 2011).
Besides the physiognomic distinction between the Amazon and the Pantanal floodplain (mostly savannalike formations), Elaphoglossum species commonly occur in primary forests and are very sensitive to habitat change (Tryon and Tryon 1982).However, some Elaphoglossum species are resilient to anthropic disturbance, e.g., the E. discolor populations of the present study being observed in areas affected by mining.The western outskirts of the Pantanal floodplain, including the Urucum plateau represent the area with most inventories of ferns and lycophytes in Mato do Sul state, totaling 110 species (Assis 2007).The present study reports the Urucum plateau as the southernmost distribution of E. discolor in Brazil (Figure 2).

Figure 2 :
Figure 2: Distribution map of Elaphoglossum discolor (Kuhn) C.Chr. in Brazil, showing the southern limit of occurrence in the Urucum plateau, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil.