It was growing in deep shade on the rainforest floor around Paraty, Brazil..

Thanks for any suggestions!

Lomariopsis japurensis looks close Myriam, there's a lot of ferns though.

http://www.nybg.org/botany/rmo...

On the home page there's links to characteristics and distribution, it's close to the area.

http://www.nybg.org/botany/rmo...

The leaves do look broader but the rest of it is so close ..

http://www.plantsystematics.or...

It's on the pdf I put on your other fern on page 4 ..

http://fm2.fieldmuseum.org/pla...

It does look very close indeed Janet, sure the genus must be right, thanks so much for finding these very useful links!That is a big help!
My computer is very slow though at the moment, I'll go deeper into them later..

Maybe Metaxya rostrata is even a closer match? It also has the leaflets of the fronds with little stems like mine..

http://www.google.be/imgres?q=...

http://eol.org/data_objects/13...
http://biogeodb.stri.si.edu/bi...
On pge 5
http://fm2.fieldmuseum.org/pla...

I took a crop of the fronds where you can see through how the spores are arranged

I looked at that one too, the leaves are narrower and appear to be longer.

Look at Lomariopsis prieuriana on the pdf, the photo isn't the best but it's a good possibility. I only found dried specimens on a search but the map shows it to be further down the coast than the other one.

http://biogeodb.stri.si.edu/he...

Looking at the specimens I think the leaves are too constricted near the tip, and not as broad at the petiole end.

http://128.253.177.187/cgi-bin...

Thanks Janet, maybe yes, the leaves on Metaxya rostrata are longer and narrower... and yes the leaves are too pointy at the end with Lomariopsis prieuriana.
It is probably not Metaxya rostrata being only listed for The Amazones in the Flora do Brasil , I tried to find that out this morning too, but the site was not available..

Sigh.. ferns can be very hard to ID with all these look-a-likes!

I've found one which does look a good match, except the name is unresolved and it appears to be only in the Fiji Islands.

Lomariopsis brackenridgei .. this site is for the flora of the island of Moorea, French Polynesia.

http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/moo...

http://www.theplantlist.org/tp...

http://sweetgum.nybg.org/vh/sp...

There's a good list of Lomariopsis on the Plant List, I don't seem to be able to find ferns on Flora do Brasil.

It really does look like a Lomariopsis sp. but that can be misleading.

http://www.theplantlist.org/tp...

Didn't I once find a site with a list of ferns for Brazil?

If you're feeling brave I found a site listing ferns of the world, I looked at some but there doesn't appear to be distribution.

http://homepages.caverock.net....

I'm not sure you once gave me a list of Brazilian ferns Janet, I don't recall..
I had the same issue with Flora do Brasil, as I couldn't find any single fern on it, then I found out you have to change the group Angiospermas into Pteridofitas..

http://floradobrasil.jbrj.gov....

Lomariopsis brackenridgei isn't in the region..under Lomariopsis is only listed Lomariopsis marginata like you found first to be a rather a good match..
http://floradobrasil.jbrj.gov....


I think we better give up on this one!

It was a different species I found first Myriam.

Lomariopsis marginata ..

http://www.fernsoftheworld.com...

The leaves on the Tropicos specimen look good to me, the shape is spot on..

http://www.tropicos.org/Image/...

It's an accepted name ..

http://www.theplantlist.org/tp...

Thanks Janet, it does look a perfect match except that Lomariopsis marginata has the leaves directly attached without a little stem while mine has these little stems like on this crop.

Pffft! I missed that, comparing the leaf shape was a diversion. I doubt the petioles are pressed against the main stem either.

Ah petioles is the word for the 'little stems' I was referring too'