Hundreds of species observations and four ascomycetes new to Norway during a mycology field course

Abstract

During a mycology field course in Drøbak 29th August – 2nd September 2011 several interesting and some new taxa to Norway were found. Species not previously recorded in Norway include <i>Tatraea dumbirensis, Corollospora maritima, Nectriopsis candicans</i> and <i>Ombrophila juniperinella</i>. A list of 413 taxa, including records of three threatened species, is given and the ecology and distribution of the rare discomycete <i>T. dumbirensis</i> is discussed. Based on the results it can be concluded that basic field courses focusing on species identification in quite poorly known organism groups produce not only future naturalists, but also valuable floristic data. Field courses with competent teachers and tens of motivated students collecting in the field are effective and low-cost means for species mapping, and thus they should be increasingly supported.