Kartasheva, A.K., Yu.S. Mamontov, A.V. Shkurko, E.A. Glazkova, E.Yu. Kuzmina, N.S. Liksakova & T.I. Koroteeva. 2026. Bryophyte flora of Urup Island (The Kuril Islands, East Asia)

Arctoa (2026) 35: 73–83

doi: 10.15298/arctoa.35.07

Urup Island is located in the central Kuril Archipelago, representing an important climatic and vegetational transition zone. Historically, its bryoflora has been poorly investigated. Based on field collections made in 2021 and a revision of published records and herbarium specimens, we present the first annotated checklist of the island’s bryophytes. The flora comprises 180 species (133 mosses and 47 liverworts). The checklist documents the southern and northern distribution limits within the archipelago for several temperate East Asian taxa, including Pallavicinia subciliata and Limnohypnum mizushimae respectively, and provides new locality data for recently described North Pacific endemics, such as Arvernella pisarenkoi and Marsupella subemarginata. The phytogeographical distribution of areal types across the island is driven by its unique climate variability across a latitudinal gradient and habitat availability like sheltered river gorges and tall-herb meadows as refugia for East Asian elements.