As part of a comprehensive revision of the Rhizocarpon geographicum species group using molecular and morphological approaches, we examined the name-bearing types of 15 species. We report ambiguities and inconsistencies with the reported features of some type specimens, original descriptions, and circumscriptions employed in keys for the identification of taxa within the complex. The reporting of chemical reactions and some morphological characters was found to be inconsistent and likely to lead to errors of identification. This is unfortunate in view of the widespread use of the complex in glaciology for lichenometry. Issues surrounding the typification of the basionym Lichen geographicus are clarified, and the epitype is illustrated. The complex nomenclatural situation regarding the name Rhizocarpon lecanorinum and its typification is also made clear. The examination of the anatomical and morphological characters presented here needs to be considered together with molecular phylogenetic information to provide a more informed new taxonomy of the group.

Current knowledge about the non-lichenized genus Chaenothecopsis in Switzerland is reviewed. A characterization of the genus and a key to all accepted European taxa are presented, excluding the little known resinicolous species. The distribution of the 15 Chaenothecopsis species recorded in Switzerland is briefly summarized. Specimens in the herbaria belong mainly to C. pusilla, C. rubescens and C. viridialba; recent collections include rarer species such as C. hospitans, C. ochroleuca, C. retinens and C. tasmanica. It seems that many taxa occur predominantly in montane to subalpine forests in the Northern Prealps, although distributional data are still scarce.

Extensive material of Caloplacafrom Arctic and Antarctic regions has been critically examined. A list of 49 species is presented for Arctic regions. They are presumed to have a more or less circumpolar distribution. Twenty-two species are listed from the Antarctic region, but about ten more, probably undescribed species, are present there. About one-third of the species in the Antarctic region are bipolar or widespread in cold regions; these include mainly terricolous and muscicolous species and none of them are maritime. It is assumed that migration of the bipolar or cosmopolitan species has taken place along the Andean mountain chain, whereas the maritime polar species have evolved separately in the two hemispheres. The Caloplaca species of the Antarctic region are provisionally assigned to the following distribution types: continental Antarctic, western Antarctic, insul-Antarctic and sub-Antarctic. Caloplaca exsecuta, C. saxicola and C. phaeocarpella are recorded as new to the Antarctic region. Caloplaca johnstonii (Dodge) Søchting & Olech, comb, nov., is established as the correct name of C. tenuis Øvstedal.

A rapid method to isolate intact functional algae from the lichens Evemia prunastri and Ramalina farinacea has been developed. This method is based on the use of Percoll® gradients after mechanical disruption of lichen thalli. Results obtained show that the algal preparations were virtually free of contamination by fungal hyphae. The purified algal cells were photosynthetically active and without symptoms of photoinhibition, which indicates their functional integrity. This method may be used for the isolation of intact algae from a broad range of lichen species.

In boreal Scandinavia Usnea longissima is a rare epiphytic lichen associated with old spruce (Picea abies) forests. To test whether tree age was an important determinant of the occurrence and abundance of U. longissima at the scale of a forest stand we estimated thallus numbers on 1008 trees within three submontane spruce stands in south-central Norway. The stands were of all ages and multi-layered and had been selectively cut previous to the 1940s. There was no relationship between number of U. longissima thalli and tree age among trees with dbh of ≥ 10 cm. The most consistent pattern was a positive relationship between occurrence and number of thalli and stem diameter. After controlling the covariance of stem diameter, there was a tendency for a negative relationship between number of thalli and tree age. The results suggest that in old-growth resembling stands, with already established U. longissima populations, tree size (here measured as stem Diameter) is a better predictor of thallus number than tree age. This does not contradict the possibility that other environmental characteristics, associated with stands of older age, may be important for the establishment and growth of U. longissima populations.

Lichenostigma radicans Calat. & Barreno, a lichenicolous fungus growing on vagrant Aspicilia species, is described as new to science from Spain. It is superficially similar to L. maureri, with cushion-like ascomata, but differing mainly by its ascomata connected at their base to immersed, brown, vegetative hyphae. Comments on the variability of iodine reactions of asci and ascospore walls, and on an associated conidial fungus with small bacilliform conidia, are given for L. maureri.

The phylogenetic relationship between the Alectoriaceae and the Parmeliaceae (lichenized ascomycetes) were studied using sequences of the small subunit of the nuclear ribosomal DNA (SSU rDNA). The Alectoriaceae was represented by specimens of Alectoria ochroleuca and A. sarmentosa, and the Parmeliaceae by Bryoria capillaris, Cetraria islandica, Cornicularia normoerica, Evernia prunastri, Hypogymnia physodes, Parmelia saxatilis, Platismatia glauca, Pleurosticta acetabulum, Usnea florida, Vulpicida juniperina, V. pinastri and Xanthoparmelia conspersa. The results suggest that the Alectoriaceae is derived from within the Parmeliaceae, and it is suggested the families should be treated as synonyms. Morphological and anatomical characters are discussed, and it is concluded that earlier investigations might have overemphasized minor variations in ascus structure.

Caloplaca badioreagens is a new endolithic species of subgenus Pyrenodesmia characterized by a greyish brown, K+ reddish brown epithecium, and simple, non-capitate paraphyses. It is readily distinguishable from other endolithic Pyrenodesmias (C. agardhiana, C. alociza, C. erodens) by the presence of an unknown lichen substance in the excipulum and the subhymenium, forming large, rectangular crystal plates in GAW and GE. The new species was collected on hard limestone in three localities of central and southern Italy.

Three new corticolous Arthoniaceae are described from the Chapada do Araripe, an isolated table mountain in the state of Ceará, in NE Brazil. Arthonia stipitata, lichenicolous on unidentified sorediate crusts, with red, tiny, stipitate apothecia, 3-septate ascospores, 10–12×3·0–3·5 µm. Stirtonia lucida with rather small ascigerous areas, lichexanthone and zeorin in the thallus, globose asci, ascospores 8 per ascus, ellipsoid, 17–19×8–10 µm, with occasionally some longitudinal septa. Stirtonia ochracea with rather small ochraceous ascigerous areas, thallus without secondary metabolites, ascospores 8 per ascus, (7–)9(–11)-septate, 47–55×14–20 µm. These species were found during a study aiming at an inventory of the lichen biodiversity of the Cerrado forests in the area, and were not found during earlier ecological studies in the Caatinga forests in the same area. Stirtonia lucida is the first species assigned to this genus which occasionally has some longitudinal septa in the ascospores. Such specimens might be confused with Cryptothecia species.

Basidiolichens are generally poorly researched because of the very small number of species and their restriction to special niches. Lichenomphalia basidiolichens grow in considerable quantities in arctic and alpine habitats but they are inadequately studied in these habitats in Mediterranean areas. Based on morphological and phylogenetic analyses, we identified the different symbionts of L. meridionalis, collected in localities in Spain at altitudes ranging from 533 to 2200 m above sea level. The present study provides the first molecular data available for L. meridionalis. We found that a microindel of six bp within the nrITS2 could help to discriminate L. meridionalis from other species of the genus. Molecular analyses revealed the existence of two different green algal strains, both belonging to Coccomyxa subellipsoidea, a species shared with other Lichenomphalia lichens. Notably, the two chlorobiont strains associated with L. meridionalis were differentially distributed according to altitude, and samples having one of the two strains consistently also included cyanobacteria.

The lichen vegetation on exposures of gabbro near Letterfrack, Co. Galway, western Ireland is described. Species abundance and vigour relate primarily to the geochemical composition of the gabbro substratum rather than to microclimatic factors. Lichens may be useful as geochemical indicators when mapping rocks with similar textures and mineralogies.

During 2010–12 collecting seasons, we visited 27 islands, locally called keys, in Florida Bay within the boundaries of Everglades National Park for the purpose of investigating their lichen flora. A disproportionate number of the resultant collections belong to Enterographa Fée, a genus mostly tropical in distribution. Currently, 11 species are known from Everglades National Park, of which Enterographa bradleyana, E. caudata, E. murrayana and E. nitidula are described here as new to science. Enterographa bradleyana is superificially similar to Enterographa divergens but has smaller ascospores, a wider perispore and contains gyrophoric acid. Enterographa candata is easily identified by an unusual chemistry of lichexanthone and schizopeltic acid and its extremely long tailed ascospores. Enterographa murrayana resembles E. anguinella in the field but has a different chemistry, wider ascospores with more septation and a wider perispore. Enterographa nitidula has an unusual fine powdery and glossy thallus, small 4-celled ascospores and contains an unidentified substance. Because a large number of Enterographa have been described (20 including those newly described here) since Sparrius monographed the genus in 2004, an updated world key to the genus is provided.

Three names in the genus Graphis are validated: Graphisnorvestitoides Sutjaritturakan, G. rongklaensis Sutjaritturakan, and Graphis arbusculaeformis (Vain.) Lücking. In addition, the new species G. pseudoaquilonia Lücking is described, differing from G. norvestitoides in the clear versus inspersed hymenium.

Thin-layer chromatography (TLC) still enjoys widespread popularity among lichenologists as one of the fastest and simplest analytical strategies, today remaining the primary method of assessing the secondary product content of lichens. The pitfalls associated with this approach are well known as TLC leads to characterizing compounds by comparison with standards rather than properly identifying them, which might lead to erroneous assignments, accounting for the long-held interest in hyphenating TLC with dedicated identification tools. As such, commercially available TLC/Mass Spectrometry (MS) interfaces can be easily connected to any brand of mass spectrometer without adjustments. The spots of interest are extracted from the TLC plate to retrieve mass spectrometric signals within one minute, thereby ensuring accurate identification of the chromatographed substances. The results of this hyphenated strategy for lichens are presented here by 1) describing the TLC migration and direct MS analysis of single lichen metabolites of various structural classes, 2) highlighting it through the chemical profiling of crude acetone extracts of a set of lichens of known chemical composition, and finally 3) applying it to a lichen of unknown profile, Usnea trachycarpa.

Two new species of Syncesia are described, which differ from all other species of the genus by having more than 3-septate ascospores. Syncesia afromontana is characterized by a byssoid thallus and 7-septate ascospores, and is known only from the type locality in the Nyungwe Forest in Rwanda where it might be endemic. Syncesia madagascariensis is characterized by a crustose thallus and 5-septate ascospores, and is known only from the type locality in a montane forest in central Madagascar.