محتوى الصفحة
SOUTHWARD RANGE EXTENSION of Riccia frostii Austin (Ricciaceae) to THE ARABIAN PENINSULA
Authors Vincent Hugonnot1, Florine Pépin1, Jean-Baptiste Gibout2 & Tom Coupeau3
Published 30 December 2025 Volume 3:2 Pages 252-259
Checked for plagiarism Yes
Peer reviewer comments 2
3125, Impasse des Oponces, 43380 Blassac, France
254, boulevard Pommery, F-51100 Reims, France
332, bis avenue Colbert, F-58000 Nevers, France
AbstractRiccia frostii Austin is reported for the first time from the Arabian Peninsula, based on material collected in southwestern Saudi Arabia (western Sarawat Mountains, near Al Makhwah). The species was found on recently exposed sandy-clayey substrates along the fluctuating margins of a reservoir, occupying shallow, moisture-retaining microdepressions within pioneer hygrophilous vegetation. Identification was based on diagnostic thallus and spore characters consistent with the current circumscription of the species. This record represents a southward extension of the known distribution of R. frostii and highlights the ecological importance of transient drawdown habitats in arid regions. Such unstable, moisture-buffered environments may act as overlooked refugia for hygrophilous bryophytes and therefore warrant targeted survey efforts and conservation attention.Keywords Reservoir drawdown zones, Hydrological instability, Pioneer vegetation, Hygrophilous annuals, Trampling disturbance, Cyperus michelianus subsp. Pygmaeus