Arthropteris altescandens is endemic to the Juan Fernández Islands. It is the easternmost species of its genus, being separated from other Arthropteris by several thousand kilometers. The genus is sister to the rest of the Tectariaceae and has been recently placed in its own family, the Arthropteridaceae (Liu et al. 2013). This species is characterized by long-creeping/climbing rhizomes, free veins, round sori, and absence of indusia. The photo below was taken by Dean G. Kelch, same botanist who photographed Thyrsopteris elegans on Robinson Crusoe Island (https://www.fernsoftheworld.com/thyrsopteris-elegans/).