Zueva A.S., Stepanchikova I.S., Himelbrant D.E., Frolov I.V., Gusarova G.L., Stepanova A.V., Tabakina V.V., Galanina I.A.
Botanica Pacifica: a journal of plant science and conservation 2026; 15(2): 1-22
Here we present data on 113 driftwood lichen species and two lichenicolous fungi species from the Commander Islands (Bering and Medny islands). Eighty‑seven of these species are reported for the Commander Islands for the first time. In addition, 29 species are new to Kamchatka Territory, 14 of them are new to the Russian Far East, and five of them – Hafellia fosteri, Lecania granulata, Lecanora aleutica, Lichenodiplis fallaciosa, and Puttea caesia – are new to Russia. For all species, we provide coordinates and descriptions of sample plots, as well as the genus to which the substrate wood belongs. A total of 604 lichen specimens were ex‑ amined and deposited in the LE and LECB herbaria. For four species (Bacidina indigens, B. mendax, Lecanora aleutica, and Myriolecis aff. flowersiana), ITS sequences were obtained and uploaded to GenBank. We also analysed the distribution of driftwood lichens in relation to influencing factors (substrate species, ornitho‑ genic influence, distance from the coast, altitude, and location of the sample plot on the western or eastern coast of Bering or Medny islands). According to our data, distance from the coast and altitude slightly influence the distribution of lichen species. Keywords: biodiversity, lichenicolous fungi, new records, North Pacific, Asia
