Seventeen spp . new records for the Moss flora of Iraq

Resumen. El muestreo de los musgos recolectados se efectuó in diferentes partes de las Provincias de Erbil, Sulaimani, Duhok y Even Kirkuk, Región Kurdistan de Irak desde 1998 hasta Abril 2010. Esta colección podría corresponder a especies representativas de musgos al pie de montañas, montañas y planicies de hábitats terrestres y acuáticos sobre la superficie del suelo, roca y corteza de árboles. Un total de 67 especies en 32 géneros, 16 familias y 9 órdenes. Entre ellos, 17 especies en 10 géneros, 2 familias Schistogaceae y Ephemeraceae, y un único orden Schistotegales. Las especies más raras registradas en este estudio fueron Schistostega pennata con hojas semejantes a los helechos, en la cueva Shanadar, Pottia wilsoni var. crinata en la entrada de la cueva Ba-stoon, y Ephemerum cistatum dentro del área Ali-beg. Se acompañan descripciones y fotografías de los registros. La clave de identificación está basada en los caracteres vegetativos saprofitico y gametofitico en paralelo con el hábitat y las formas de crecimiento.


INTRODUCTION
Works on the Iraqi bryophytes have been concerned mainly with the moss species collected during excursions of foreign workers in different parts of Iraq (Agnew & Tow, 1970;Agnew & Vondracek, 1975).Agnew & Vondracek (1975) recorded 54 genera and 149 moss species; they referred in detail to old works on mosses collected from Mesopotamia, Iraq, Syria and other Middle East countries (e.g.Lebanon, Phalstine, Persia and Afghanistan).Maulood & Resheed (1994) have given a literature survey related to the moss flora of Iraq.They recorded 27 genera and 48 species in the North part of Iraq Nineveh, Erbil and Dohok, where 4 genera and 9 species were considered as new records for the Iraqi flora.Al-Ni'ma (2003) constitutes an excellent reference for the bryophytes of Iraq.He collected more than 450 specimens, covering 5 genus and 8 species as new records to the Iraqi Flora.However, there are only a few references for the Iraqi mosses in the literature leading with bryophytes (Schiffner, 1913;Frochlich, 1959;Al-Ni'ma, 2003) The present study constitutes an additional contribution to the moss flora of Iraq.It includes clear pictures, photographs and illustrations of new recorded mosses, reporting their habitats and distribution.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
The identification and classification was based on the available references (Micelle, 1951;Conrad, 1963;Jaques, 1963;Nicholson & Brightman, 1974;Scott et al., 1976;Smith, 1978;Watson, 1980;Phillips, 1994).Hand drawing was made for all identified new records.It was done by wing Lucida camera.Drawings were then redrawn, having support from reference books.Photographs were taken in the field and laboratory using a digital camera.A digital camera joined to a dissecting Olympus microscope was also used.Measurements were done in microns or millimeters after microscope calibration.
Study sites.The study area was located in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, Iraq.It extended within 43°15' -45°14' E, 37°24' -36°34' N. The total study land was 65000 km 2 .It covered mountain foothills and hills with plateau areas at an altitude of 400-3785 m.a.s.l.Physiographically speaking, there are two main regions: High Folded Zone and Nappe zone Low Folded Zone (Anon, 1975).The rocks of hills and mountains, of a calcareous type, are covered by alluvium; they were formed by stream and river flows forming alluvial plains.Climate is cold from October to April with winter rains and snow falls (from less than 250 to more than 1200 mm/year).The study growing season was during the spring and dry, hot summer ( June to September) (Guest, 1966;Agnew & Vondarcek, 1975).

RESULTS
From more than 300 collected samples, I found 67 species of mosses distributed in 32 genus, 16 families and 9 orders.

9-Ephemerum cristatum Hook, F. and Wilson
Plant very small, dichotomously branched, the stem about 0.5 mm high.Few leaves, loosely arranged, spreading, hyaline, leaves spathulate, not narrowly lanceolate.Leaves deeply serrated-ciliated.With teeth.The cells are rectangular to irregularly rhomboidal, 10-20 µm wide, thick walled.The seta very short.Tiny capsule, rounded, red brown.Grown on rocks in Gali Ali-Beg ( Scott et al., 1976    It is a typical and rare plant, named the luminous moss, male and female plants are separate, but at the same protonema stage.It grows based on reflected light.The species name refers to its fern-like leaves.Protonema perennial; the plant is small 1-2 cm, without main shoot, leaves like fern leaves, small and microscopic: 0.3 cm long in two rows; erect lanceolated to acuminated, bright round, stem about 1.5 cm long.It lacks prestom.Stem comes from protonema.Found in Shanadar cave (Smith, 1979: 358, Fig.170).

IDENTIFICATION KEYS
Mostly the new records were found in the (1)Shanadar and  Bastoon cave (in April and August, 2010), (2) Barzewa spring out flow at the base of Hindrain mountain behind Barzewa village, and (3) same places of Halgurd mountain, in very cold water coming from snow out flows above Nawanda village (in July).New records found in the Balayian valley were found within Gali-Ali Beg village during February, April 2010, and also in Ikoban and Kawlokan villages, Rawanduz town, Erbil province, and Denarta in Duhok province.List (1): Mosses flora recorded in the study area.New records are indicated by an asterisk (*).