Lecanopteris sinuosa

Description

Lecanopteris sinuosa is a fern that belongs to the unique fern genus Lecanopteris. This epiphytic plant has a mutualistic relationship with stingless shelter ants, which makes it a myrmecophyte. The ant species associated with L. sinuosa belong within the genera Crematogaster, Technomyrmex or Iridomyrmex. The ants rear their larvae within the rhizome for protection, and in turn, L. sinuosa receives nutritional benefit from feces and other debris left behind by the plants. It is also suggested that L. sinuosa benefits from increased protection from herbivory and increased spore dispersal. Lecanopteris sinuosa belongs in the subgenus Myrmecopteris (comprising four species total), which is characterized by ferns that have peltate scales and sori that are deeply immersed on the pinnae.