Folia Cryptog. Estonica, Fasc. 56: 31–52 (2019) https://doi.org/10.12697/fce.2019.56.05 The lichens of Moshchny Island (Lavansaari) – one of the remote islands in the Gulf of Finland Irina S. Stepanchikova1,2, Dmitry E. Himelbrant1,2, Ulf Schiefelbein3, Jurga Motiejūnaitė4, Teuvo Ahti5, Mikhail P. Andreev2 1St. Petersburg State University, Universitetskaya emb. 7–9, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia. E-mails: [email protected], [email protected] 2Laboratory of Lichenology and Bryology, Komarov Botanical Institute RAS, Professor Popov St. 2, 197376 St. Petersburg, Russia. E-mail: [email protected] 3Blücherstrasse 71, D-18055 Rostock, Germany. E-mail: [email protected] 4Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Botany, Nature Research Centre, Žaliųjų Ežerų 49, LT–08406 Vilnius, Lithuania. E-mail: [email protected] 5Botanical Museum, Finnish Museum of Natural History, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 7, FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland. E-mail: [email protected] Abstract: We present a checklist for Moshchny Island (Leningrad Region, Russia). The documented lichen biota comprises 349 species, including 313 lichens, 30 lichenicolous fungi and 6 non-lichenized saprobic fungi. Endococcus exerrans and Lichenopeltella coppinsii are reported for the first time for Russia;Cercidospora stenotropae, Erythricium aurantiacum, Flavoplaca limonia, Lecidea haerjedalica, and Myriospora myochroa for European Russia; Flavoplaca oasis, Intralichen christiansenii, Nesolechia fusca, and Myriolecis zosterae for North-Western European Russia; and Arthrorhaphis aeruginosa, Calogaya pusilla, and Lecidea auriculata subsp. auriculata are new for Leningrad Region. The studied lichen biota is moderately rich and diverse, but a long history of human activity likely caused its transformation, especially the degradation of forest lichen biota. The most valuable habitats for lichens in Moshchny Island are seashore and dune communities which definitely deserve protection. Keywords: Baltic Sea, Karelia australis, Leningrad Region, dune communities, Endococcus exerrans, Lichenopeltella coppinsii INTRODUCTION Moshchny Island (Lavansaari in Finnish) is one from the island (Lemberg, 1935), and in 1993 of largest remote islands in the Russian part Nataliya B. Balashova collected samples of 12 of the Gulf of Finland within the boundaries of common corticolous species, which were subse- Leningrad Region. It was permanently inhabited quently identified by Alexeeva (LECB; Alexeeva, for long periods since the 14th century and had 2005). All the mentioned collections and reports regular ship connection with the mainland since contain very scarce and fragmentary information the 19th century. However, it remained practical- on lichens. Only 19 lichen species were known ly uninvestigated by lichenologists. The earliest from Moshchny Island before our survey. known lichen collections from the island were made by Edvin Nylander in 1851 (two speci- Irina Stepanchikova (IS) and Dmitry Himelbrant mens, Hypogymnia physodes and Stereocaulon (DH) conducted a comprehensive field study of glareosum) and Magnus Brenner in July 1868 (a Moshchny lichens in 2017 in connection with specimen of Amandinea punctata and two speci- the Complex Expedition ‘Gogland’ of the Rus- mens of Ramalina subfarinacea), all now kept in sian Geographical Society. The participants of the lichen collection in the Finnish Museum of the same expedition Nadezhda S. Liksakova and Natural History, University of Helsinki (H). They Elena A. Glazkova, who investigated the veg- were first identified by William Nylander and etation and flora of Moshchny Island, recently later critically revised by Nadezhda M. Alexeeva mentioned the seven most common terricolous and Dmitry E. Himelbrant in 2007–2008. In lichens (Liksakova & Glazkova, 2018), identified 1926 Bertel Lemberg investigated plant com- by IS and DH. The present paper is the outcome munities on dunes and mentioned 4 species of of the expedition and the revision of all known terricolous lichens – Cladonia arbuscula, C. cor- herbarium collections and literature records nuta, C. rangiferina and Stereocaulon paschale from Lavansaari. 32 Folia Cryptog. Estonica STUDY AREA The island consists of the main part and the large Promezhutochny Peninsula (former Sui- Moshchny Island lies in the Russian part of the saari), connected by the 200–400 m wide and 1 Gulf of Finland, c. 30 km NW of the Kurgal’sky km long, sandy isthmus Hiekkataipale (Fig. 1). Peninsula (Russia) and 70 km SW of Kotka The relief of the island is represented by rather (Finland), and occupies an area of c. 16 km2 low flatland (average height is less than 10 m (including 7 very small in-shore islets). Admin- a.s.l.) with two local maximal elevations of 16 istratively it belongs to the Kingisepp District of and 12 m a.s.l. The whole island is composed the Leningrad Region, and biogeographically to of sedimentary (marine) and moraine sand with Karelia australis, a traditional province of the granite moraine boulders. Rocky outcrops are Eastern Fennoscandia (Kotiranta et al., 1998). Fig. 1. The study area, Moshchny Island (Lavansaari), with location of collection sites. 33 totally absent. A significant part of Moshchny The specimens are deposited in the herbaria of Island is covered by pine forests on sand (mainly the Botanical Museum, University of Helsinki in W, S, and N parts of island); spruce, small- (H), the Department of Botany, St. Petersburg leaved, and black alder forests on clayey soil are State University (LECB), and the Institute of Bot- also widely distributed (mainly in the central, E any, Nature Research Centre in Vilnius (BILAS). and N parts). Almost all forests nowadays are The list of localities also includes two localities secondary and composed of young stands, as mentioned by Lemberg in his publication. Other practically the whole territory of the island has herbarium and literature records are indicated undergone anthropogenic transformation. Dune as ‘Lavansaari’ or ‘Moshchny Island’ without communities (in E and W parts), heathlands, further details. IS and DH identified the majority and different types of seashore communities of the specimens, Jurga Motiejūnaitė performed are characteristic for the island (Liksakova & identification of several lichenicolous fungi, Glazkova, 2018). Ulf Schiefelbein identified some lichenicolous fungi and seashore saxicolous lichens, Teuvo In the 14th century the island was colonized by Ahti identified or confirmed critical Cladonia Swedish-speaking fishermen and seal hunters specimens, Mikhail Andreev identified Lecidea (its Swedish name is Lövskär). However, the haerjedalica and some other crustose saxicolous island was deserted again in the 1570s due to lichens; if otherwise, the author responsible for a long war between Sweden and Russia. From the identification is indicated. 1630s another permanent colonization started, this time from the Finnish coast in the north. In In the present list of species the nomenclature 1920–1940 the island belonged to the state of of taxa generally follows Nordin et al. (2011), Finland (Piispa, 2013). Gradually a community Hafellner & Türk (2016), Diederich et al. (2018), of up to 1300 inhabitants was formed. In ad- and Lawrey & Diederich (2018). For each spe- dition to fishing, ship-building and commercial cies the substrates and localities are mentioned. shipping were the main means of living. In the Species new to the Leningrad Region or larger late 19th century lots of sand and stones were regions are accompanied by information on sold to St. Petersburg, e. g., to the construc- diagnostic characteristics and distribution in tion of the Kronstadt fortification. Maintenance North-Western European Russia, Fennoscandia of cattle and horses (important for wintertime and the Baltic countries. Lichen substances are fishing) meant that also some cultivated fields given for HPTLC-analyzed species. Chromatog- were present. There was also a fish-processing raphy was performed by IS & DH (different taxa), plant, and tourist industry was being developed as well as Ludmila Konoreva & Sergei Chesnokov in the 1930s. Connections to Estonia were also (Micarea spp.) according to standard techniques frequent. Before the World War I some military of high performance thin-layer chromatography fortification occurred, as again during and af- using solvent systems A, B, and C (Orange et ter the World War II, even with an airfield and al., 2001). Lichenicolous and algicolous fungi narrow gauge railway. The civil population was are marked with #, non-lichenized fungi with +, evacuated to Finland in 1939, and after that the habitat specialists with s, and indicator species island has had very few permanent inhabitants with i (see Andersson et al., 2009); regions are (Piispa, 2013; Liksakova & Glazkova, 2018). abbreviated as follows: LR – Leningrad Region, ELR – Eastern Leningrad Region, WLR – Western Leningrad Region, SPb – St. Petersburg; collec- MATERIAL AND METHODS tors are abbreviated as follows: MB – Magnus The material was collected on Moshchny Is- Brenner, NB – Nataliya B. Balashova, EN – Edvin land from 12 to 22 of August, 2017 by IS and Nylander. For each species collected by the au- DH. Altogether 53 localities were investigated thors, the frequency of occurrence is indicated (Appendix 1; Fig. 1): 32 standard 20 × 20 m in square brackets: single record [R1] – the sample areas (or in natural boundaries of the species was found once, rare [R] – recorded in community), where the lichen diversity on each 2–6 standard sample