Bull. Natl. Mus. Nat. Sci., Ser. B, 35(2), pp. 71–89, June 22, 2009 Notes on the Distribution of the Vandenboschia radicans Complex (Hymenophyllaceae) in Japan Atsushi Ebihara Department of Botany, National Museum of Nature and Science, Amakubo 4–1–1, Tsukuba, 305–0005 Japan E-mail:
[email protected] Abstract The distribution of eight species and four hybrids included in the Vandenboschia radi- cans complex within Japan is reviewed. Distribution maps for each taxon are provided based on herbarium specimens, which are listed in order of municipality code. Key words:Distribution, Hymenophyllaceae, Japan, Vandenboschia. Introduction were embedded in V. ϫstenosiphon and V. ϫ Vandenboschia subgen. Vandenboschia (Hy- quelpaertensis, respectively because it is diffi- menophyllaceae) distributed in world temperate/ cult to discriminate amphidiploids from sterile subtropical regions encompasses a number of hybrids sharing the same genome combinations morphologically ill-defined species, and they are (but different genome dosage). As shown in the tentatively lumped under a species complex discriminant analysis (Ebihara et al., 2009), some named “Vandenboschia radicans complex”. As of the redefined taxa morphologically overlap for Japanese members of the complex, Ebihara with each other. Therefore, descriptions and keys et al. (2005a) clarified their biological entities by do not always provide sufficient information for DNA/ploidy analyses, and Ebihara et al. (2009) their identification. Digital images of examined reexamined their taxonomic properties. Since the specimens (only those deposited in TNS), to number of samples analyzed in these studies is compensate the difficulty, are accessible via on- still limited, it is necessary to examine as many line database (http://www.vspecimens.net/).