9 Botanica ISSN 2538-8657 2023, 29(1): 9–20 https://doi.org/10.35513/Botlit.2023.1.2 Original research New data on lichen flora of the Edough Peninsula in north-eastern Algeria Amina Chaker 1* , Kheireddine Fekroune 2 , Amina Hassaine 1 , Abderachid Slimani 1 , Labiba Zerari 3 , Riadh Moulaï 4 1 Badji Mokhtar University, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Biology, 23000 Annaba, Algeria 2 Chadli Bendjedid University, Department of Marine Sciences, 36000 El Tarf, Algeria 3 Badji Mokhtar University, Faculty of Science, Department of Biology, 23000 Annaba, Algeria 4 University of Bejaia, Laboratory of Applied Zoology and Animal Ecophysiology, Faculty of Natural and Life Sciences, 06000 Bejaia, Algeria *Corresponding author. E-mail: amina.fekrounechaker@yahoo.fr Abstract Chaker A., Fekroune K., Hassaine A., Slimani A., Zerari L., Moulaï R., 2023: New data on lichen flora of the Edough Peninsula in north-eastern Algeria. – Botanica, 29(1): 9–20. https://doi.org/10.35513/Botlit.2023.1.2 New information on the diversity of lichen flora of the Edough Peninsula in Algeria is presented and analysed. This study aimed to estimate the diversity of corticolous lichens on the rhytidome of Quercus suber L. in the district of Seraïdi, Annaba town, which is situated in north-eastern Algeria. During this study, nineteen species new to the Edough Peninsula were identified. Two species of the Pannariaceae family, Pectenia plumbea (Ligh- tf.) P.M. Jørg, L. Lindblom, Wedin & S. Ekman and Fuscopannaria leucosticta (Tuck.) P.M. Jørg., are rare in the region. Pectenia plumbea is a new species to the region, whereas Fuscopannaria leucosticta is new to the region and, after a long time, was rediscovered in Algeria. Keywords: Algeria, lichen, Pannariaceae family, rhytidome, squamules. INTRODUCTION The extreme northeast of Algeria and the north- west of Tunisia are considered the Mediterranean re- gional hotspots due to their high biological diversity (Véla & Benhouhou, 2007), comprising many vital areas for plants richness (Radford et al., 2011), such as the Edough Peninsula. Eastern Numidia belongs to two bioclimatic areas: the subhumid and the hu- mid, resulting in high atmospheric humidity that al- lows the development of a rich flora within a variety of ecosystems, including the oak tree forest, which has a special place among the Mediterranean forests (Bennadja et al., 2013). In addition to the undeni- able economic role played by the cork oak forests, they play an essential ecological role, contributing to the maintenance of rich biodiversity (Bennadja et al., 2013). Furthermore, some lichen species that have never been observed in Algeria have recently been recorded on this type of substrate in the study region. Such species include Usnea cornuta Körb. (Fekroune-Chaker, 2016), Nephroma parile (Ach.) Ach., and Parmelioropsis afrorevoluta (Krog & Swinscow) Elix & Hale (Ali Ahmed et al., 2018). Chaker et al. (2021) have reported that, according to the Ministry of Land Management and Environ- ment (MATE, 2014), Algerian lichen diversity has received little scientific attention from 1854 (Ny- lander, 1854) to 1955 (Werner, 1955). Then, how- ever, the Second World War and the Algerian War of