Mickel and Beitel (1988) recognized this species in their fern flora of Oaxaca, but Mickel and Smith (2004) later decided that it was merely a variant of P. pseudaureum (as P. areolatum) in their fern flora of Mexico. They felt that intermediates between the two taxa argued for it being placed in synonymy. In my opinion, the scaly leaves, ascending pinnae, and consistently terrestrial habit warrant further investigation as to its status as a distinct species. Intermediate plants may very well be of hybrid origin.