Macrofungi of the State Nature Landscape Sanctuary “Karansky” (Sevastopol, Russia)

The results of the first micological studies of the territory of the “Karansky” State Nature Landscape Sanctuary (Sevastopol City), carried out in 2022-2023, are presented. The sanctuary was established in 2017 and is the first site in the region’s network of specially protected natural areas to undergo regular mycological surveys covering all seasons of the year. Mycobiota was studied in the territory of three designated stationary clusters of the sanctuary with different types of vegetation using the route method. Samples were collected during all seasons at intervals of three to 10 days, with photo fixation of carpofores in the natural environment. A total of 388 herbarium samples were collected and identified using light microscopy methods with a standard set of chemical reagents, taking into account the nature of the vegetation at the collection site. Annotated list contains 182 species of macrofungi from 92 genera, 45 families, 13 orders and five classes, including 9 ascomycete and 173 basidiomycete species (agaricoid - 140, gasteroid - 9, aphylloforoid - 24). For the macrofungi of the sanctuary ecological--trophic structure, biotopic location, diversity of geo-elements and ranges, as well as seasonal dynamics of the formation of fruit bodies are characterized. Ninety-one species (50% of the total) were identified in the Sevastopol region for the first time, of which 10 species are newly reported for the Crimea Peninsula (, and ). Fifteen species are classified as rare, two of which are included in the Red data book of the Russian Federation (2024), and four species are represented in the Red data book of the city of Sevastopol (2018). For the protected macrofungi (, and ) a brief description, information on population size and distribution are provided. The mycobiota of the “Karansky” Nature Sanctuary is classified as a forest--steppe type mycocomplex with a predominance of agaricoid fungi of soil mycosynusia and the formation of fruiting bodies mainly in the autumn--early winter period. Data on thermophilic species are of interest for clarifying the boundaries of their global ranges. The results obtained confirm the importance of the “Karansky” Nature Sanctuary for the conservation of regional mycobiotic diversity and provide a basis for recommendations on optimizing the nature conservation regime of the sanctuary.