A first annotated checklist of corticioid and polypore basidiomycetes of the Caucasus region

This is the first combined checklist of corticioid and polypore species from the territories in the Caucasus region, including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Russian Caucasus, NE Turkey, and N–NW Iran. Altogether 389 corticioid and 246 polypore species are known from the area, 74 of which are reported as new to the entire region. Each record includes literature references, and, when available, selected unpublished specimens deposited in herbaria or collected recently are listed. The distribution of each species in the Caucasian countries is summarized, and brief notes are provided for some species. Finally, a table and a diagram representing the number of corticioids and polypores and the ratio of these in each country are provided. The checklist aims to serve as a baseline for more detailed studies of wood-inhabiting basidiomycetes in the Caucasus region. The importance of this catalogue for fungal conservation is also mentioned.