Lichen diversity in Amadiya and Rowanduz disricts in Iraq

Abstract

The lichen biota of the Amadiya and Rowanduz districts in the Mountain physiogeographic region in Iraq was sampled in 2013. The samples provided 47 species belonging to 29 genera and 14 families. Among them 37 species are new records for Iraq. All species except Lichinella cribellifera and Thelidium sp. were found in Amadiya district whereas only 13 species occurred in Rowanduz district. Most of the species (59.5%) were crustose, while 27.6% were foliose, 12.7 % squamulose and none fruticose. The three most species-rich genera are Caloplaca with 7 species, Collema with 5 species and Aspicilia with 3 species; 6 genera were represented by 2 species and 20 by single species. All saxicolous lichens were calciphilic while the corticolous lichens were acidophilic. The most common and dominant species is Lecanora muralis, found in all 17 studied locations.

New reports of lichens from Mawat and Gapelon districts in northeastern Iraq

“…This study presents the new and noteworthy findings of lichens from Iraq continuing the series of publications on the same field (Steiner 1921, Schubert 1973, Galun and Garty 2001, Şenkardeşler et al 2014, Aziz and Qadir 2016, Almola et al 2017, Karim et al 2021. Karim et al (2021) recorded 236 species of lichens in Iraq, the majority of which were located in northeastern Iraq.…”

A checklist of lichens from Iraq, with four new records of lichens from Iraq

“…As far as practicable, original sources were checked in order to remove those records which have arisen through misunderstanding of the original reference. The scientific publications used to show names of all lichens reported from Iraq are Steiner (1921), Reichert (1940), Schubert (1973), Şenkardeşler et al (2014), Aziz and Qadir (2016) and Almola et al (2017).…”

“…Two further species of lichen were identified in Iraq by Şenkardeşler et al (2014). A further contribution was made by Almola et al (2017), with 37 lichens reported for first time from Iraq. Finally, another annotated list of lichens listed 30 lichen taxa as supplementary data (Aziz and Qadir 2016).…”

Phytogeographical analysis of the lichens and lichenicolous fungi of Turkey

“…Of countries neighbouring Turkey, the lichen diversity of Greece is the best known, the checklist of lichenicolous and lichenized fungi containing 1296 species (Abbott 2009), 993 of which are also present in Turkey. Amadiya and Rowanduz districts of Iraq which are bordered to the north by Hakkâri and Şırnak provinces of Turkey are poorly investigated with only 47 species (Almola & al. 2017), 41 of which are recorded also from Turkey.…”