DISTRIBUTION AND CONSERVATION STATUS OF SPECIES OF <em>PRONEPHRIUM</em> <em>s.l.</em> (THELYPTERIDACEAE) FERNS IN PENINSULAR MALAYSIA

Abstract

Pronephrium s.l. (Thelypteridaceae) has its highest species diversity in Malesia. The distributional range and conservation status for many species have not been evaluated. Members of Pronephrium have been repeatedly collected from different parts of Peninsular Malaysia, nevertheless, their distribution has never been updated since Holttum’s account in 1955, and the conservation status of the species reported from Peninsular Malaysia has never been assessed. Considering this, we provide an up-to-date account of the distribution and evaluate the conservation status of all the species reported for Peninsular Malaysia. The evaluation was based on five years of field observation and reviewing all herbarium collections. The conservation status of all species in the current study was assessed at a sub-national level confined to Peninsular Malaysia. Assesments were conducted based on IUCN Conservation Criteria and Categories. Two species were categorised as threatened, one species assessed as Endangered, one as Vulnerable, two as Near Threatened and four as Least Concern. One variety is endemic in Peninsular Malaysia. Various threats to the extant populations are identified and discussed.