The original material of Sphinctrina tigillaris, collected in 1864, was relocated, re-examined, found to represent a species of Chaenothecopsis, and is transferred to that genus as C. tigillaris comb. nov. It occurred on a specimen of a polypore, now identified as Perenniporia meridionalis, on a beam in a Northamptonshire church, and does not appear to have been collected since. Perenniporia meridionalis is a predominantly central and southern European species which has not previously been recognized in the British Isles, although other English specimens have now been located in collections at Kew and referred to the related P. medulla-panis. The name Sphinctrina tigillaris had been overlooked since its original description in 1865, and is nomenclaturally distinct from Lichen tigillaris, the basionym of Cyphelium tigillare. Notes on five other calicioid fungi found on polypores, and a key to the six now known, are also included.

Bryoria pseudocapillaris and B. spiralifera are currently treated as members of Bryoria section Implexae although conspicuous, long and depressed pseudocyphellae characterizing both species resemble those found in the genus Sulcaria. Both genera belong in Parmeliaceae and form an alectorioid group together with Alectoria, Gowardia and Pseudephebe. Parsimony and Bayesian analyses of ITS, partial GAPDH and partial Mcm7 sequence data were used to examine the phylogenetic position of B. pseudocapillaris and B. spiralifera, and in light of these results evaluate the generic delimitation of Bryoria and Sulcaria. A total of 110 specimens of 53 species containing representatives from alectorioid and closely related genera were included in the analyses. The results clearly show first, that both B. pseudocapillaris and B. spiralifera belong in Sulcaria rather than in Bryoria, and second, that they should be considered conspecific. Bryoria pseudocapillaris is proposed as a synonym under B. spiralifera and the name Sulcaria spiralifera comb. nov. is introduced.

Three new corticolous Diorygma species are described from Brazil. Diorygma incantatum has transversely 29–31-septate, filiform ascospores 105–108×6 µm, and produces an unidentified substance with Rf 44 in solvent C. Diorygma pauciseptatum produces norstictic and connorstictic acids and has transversely 7–9-septate, I+ blue-violet, large ascospores 28–32×7 µm, surrounded by a gelatinous sheath c. 2 µm wide that is often somewhat expanded at one end. Diorygma tocantinense contains protocetraric acid and has muriform, broadly fusiform ascospores with rounded ends, 24–40×10–15 µm, surrounded by an gelatinous sheath up to c. 5 µm wide that is somewhat expanded at central parts of the ascospore. A revised world key is given to all currently known species of Diorygma.

Based on a combined three locus analysis two new genera, Charcotiana and Amundsenia, are proposed in the lichen family Teloschistaceae, subfamily Xanthorioideae. Charcotiana includes the new species C. antarctica, which is known only from continental Antarctica. The bipolar genus Amundsenia includes the new species A. austrocontinentalis, which is also known only from continental Antarctica, and the Arctic species Caloplaca approximata which is here combined into the new genus. The two new genera are phylogenetically distinct, but poor in morphological characters; the new species consist mainly of minute apothecia in cracks of rocks located in the climatically harshest regions of the Antarctic. They are somewhat similar to another continental Antarctic species, Austroplaca frigida, which is described as a new name based on the illegitimate name Caloplaca frigida Søchting. The distribution of the four species is mapped.

A key is given to the foliose and squamulose lichens known so far from Rondônia, including also corticolous crustose lichens with a chlorococcoid alga. The foliicolous Lecanorales found are also listed. The following four new corticolous Lecanorales are described from Rondônia: Calopadia granulosa with a granular, corticate thallus and ascospores 1 per ascus, 33–38×10·5–13·0 µm; Crustospathula amazonica with irregularly capitate to nearly globose, c. 0·2–0·4 mm diam. soralia on cartilaginous stalks; Flavoparmelia plicata with a thallus containing usnic and protocetraric acids, with laminal, irregular, globose to cylindrical isidia which are often easily abraded and showing the whitish medulla, but not sorediate or postulate; Physcidia striata with ascending squamules, without hypothallus, often with laminal isidia in defined areas towards lobe tips of some, usually sterile lobes, and often with biatorine apothecia with ascospores simple to 1-septate, (6·2–)7·5–10·0×(2·5–)3·0–3·5 µm. In the whole lichen flora of the lowland rainforest region of Rondônia, the following traits can be discerned: foliose lichens amount to only 17 species (2·7% of nearly 600), 33 (5·5%) are squamulose, while the vast majority (91·8%) are crustose. Cyanobacteria are present in only 6 (1%) species. A chlorococcoid alga present in c. 100 (16%), 12 of which (2%) have a myrmecioid alga. The remainder of the species, a staggering 83%, have trentepohlioid alga, including 6 (1%) with Phycopeltis. In neotropical lowland rainforest, the vast majority of the lichens are crustose and contain a trentepohlioid alga, and the Arthoniales, Graphidaceae and pyrenocarpous lichens are the main groups, each accounting for roughly a quarter of the lichen biodiversity.

The following new corticolous species are described. Thelopsis cruciata Aptroot & M. Cáceres, with an olive-green thallus, immersed red-brown perithecia and c. 50–100 cruciate ascospores per ascus, 7–10×4–7 µm, from Brazil. Topelia argentinensis Aptroot, L. I. Ferraro & M. Cáceres, with a verrucose, partly almost isidiate, greenish grey thallus, immersed pinkish perithecia and 8 uniseriate muriform ascospores per ascus, 12–17×7–11 µm, from Argentina. Topelia tetraspora Aptroot & M. Cáceres, with a c. 0·1–0·6 mm thick layer of coralloid to usually flattened, irregularly palmately branched isidia c. 0·05 mm diam., ascospores 15–19×2–6-septate, muriform, ellipsoid, 39–50×11–16 µm, only up to 4 per ascus maturing, from Brazil. Thelopsis inordinata is reported for the first time from South America, from Guyana. A key is given to all currently known species of Topelia and Thelopsis. The distinction between these genera has become arbitrary with the recent addition of more or less intermediate species.

This study aims to quantify dispersal of airborne traffic-related elemental pollutants and concurring responses – relative growth rate (RGR), maximal quantum yield of PSII (Fv/Fm), and chlorophylls (Chl ab) – in four epiphytic lichens (Lobaria pulmonaria, Parmelia sulcata, Ramalina farinacea, Usnea dasopoga). Lichens were transplanted from 25 September to 26 March to 1·5 m tall stands in open farmlands at 10, 15, 30, 50 and 100 m from the E6 highway (SE Norway), along three transects on each side usnea dasopoga of the road. The concentrations of most elements (Ca, Mg, Na, Fe, Al, Zn, Ba, Cu, V, Cr, Ni, Co, Sn, As, Mo) significantly increased with increasing proximity to the road. Elements in bold had elevated concentrations relative to controls, at least in some species at 100 m. The heavy metal accumulation increased from foliose to fruticose lichens in the order: P. sulcata>L. pulmonaria>R. farinacea≫U. dasopoga. However, L. pulmonaria was the only species with strong pollutant-dependent reductions in growth, Fv/Fm, Chl ab, and Chl a/b-ratio. The RGR and viability parameters were adversely affected by the roadside environment near the road only (≤15 m), and only after substantial heavy metal accumulation. Measurement of metal accumulation in lichens is thus a far more sensitive way of monitoring road pollutants than recording growth and lichen viability. Despite strong species-specific contrasts in elemental concentrations, most road pollutant elements responded similarly to distance from the road in all species.