Lichens and lichenicolous fungi of Prins Karls Forland (Svalbard Archipelago)
Vol.16,No.1(2026)
The paper presents data on lichens and lichenicolous fungi for Prins Karls Forland (NW of Svalbard archipelago). For the island, 283 species of lichens and 21 lichenicolous fungi have been identified to date. Seventy species of lichens and 17 lichenicolous fungi are listed for the first time for the study area, of which Arthonia epipolytropa, Gyalecta peziza, Lasiosphaeriopsis christiansenii, Porpidia rugosa, and Sclerococcum protothallinum are reported for the first time for the Svalbard archipelago. The central part of Prins Karls Forland is the most studied now (157 taxa of investigated group identified). Thus, despite its small area and hard to reach, the territory of Prins Karls Forland has a high diversity of lichens. This is mainly due to the complexity of the geological formation of the territory and the high diversity of rocks. We might expect to find species here that are also typical of more southern Arctic regions considering the geographical location Prins Karls Forland in the western part of the Svalbard archipelago and the influence of the warm Gulf Stream on local microclimate. However, the island’s insular position, small area, and strong elongation from north to south, in the absence of deeply incised bays, result in the harsh influence of climatic conditions and, as a result, the wide distribution of species characteristic of the high-latitude Arctic and high-mountain regions.
lichens; new records; Arctic; distribution; rare species
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Copyright © 2026 Liudmila A. Konoreva, Sergey V. Chesnokov