Checklists of Lichens
- Degree of completion -
Version 1 December 2016

 

Presently, 12027 files offer information on species, collectors and publications of all 196 countries and many of their administrative subdivisions, altogether 666 geographical units. 1539 publications are evaluated. 19243 species are listed.

The data quality of this project is limited by shortcomings of different type. First, the general knowledge of lichens of the single geographical unit, i.e. the field work, is incomplete, second, our evaluation of the literature is incomplete and third, the use of accepted names in the single units has to be harmonized. To make optimal use of the data provided here it is necessary to pay attention to the state of completion in every single case. Graphical schemes show the state of completion in world maps.

 

Literature evaluation of newer and most relevant publications. Degree of completion

Completeness of the listed species. The countries are classified in three groups according to the number of species which have been evaluated in relation to the number of species estimated. Thus a single modern checklist is sufficient to reach 100 percent completion per country in this diagram.

 

Literature evaluation including older publications. Degree of completion

Completeness of the listed records. Percentage of evaluated publications per country. Complete evaluation can be reached more easily in the case of small countries with few publications than in the case of countries with many publications. Thus, countries as for example Afghanistan reach 100 percent completion as all of the few existing publications are evaluted, 14 in this case.

 

Field investigation in the single countries. Degree of completion

Percentage of known species in relation to the complete estimated number of species per country

25 advanced national checklists (Argentina, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Great Britain, Israel, Italy, Lithuania, Morocco, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Tunisia, Ukraine and Uruguay) contain more than 80 percent of the expected total number of species. In most of the other countries between 20 and 50 percent of their lichen flora is known. Absolutely nothing is known of the lichen flora of 14, mostly small countries or other geographical units (Barbados, Channel Islands:Sark, China:Macao, East Timor, France: Clipperton, France: Mayotte, Guinea-Bissau, Laos, Monaco, Montserat, Netherlands: Aruba, Netherlands: Bonaire, San Marino, St. Kitts & Nevis, United Kingdom: Anguilla, United Kingdom: Cayman Islands, United Kingdom: Gibraltar, United Kingdom: Turks & Caicos Islands, Vatican City State, Western Sahara). Almost nothing is known on the lichen mycota of Bangladesh, Botswana, Montserat (United Kingdom) and the British Virgin Islands.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cite as: Feuerer, T., 2012: Checklists of lichens and lichenicolous fungi. Version 1 March 2012. - http://www.checklists.de