Bolbitis occidentalis (Dryopteridaceae), a new species from the western side of the Andes of Ecuador

A new species, Bolbitis occidentalis , is here described. It is endemic to the western side of the Ecuadorian Andes. Specimens of this new species were previously identified as B. pandurifolia. The two species are close morphologically, the only difference being the shape of the lamina base. Geographically, the two species are separated by the Andes, with B. occidentalis occurring only on the western side in Ecuador, and B. pandurifolia occurring only on the eastern side in Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia. The two species might have arisen as a result of vicariance from the final uplift of the northern Andes, but this is uncertain. They appear to be sister to B. simplex, the only other Neotropical species with simple, entire leaves and narrow wings on both sides of the rachis abaxially. A key, descriptions, and distribution maps of all three species are given.