The study of the type material of Buellia ericina (Nyl.) Jatta has revealed that this species is characterized by the same diagnostic characters as Rinodina madeirensis Kalb & Hafellner, and both taxa are here considered to be conspecific. The generic position of Buellia ericina is discussed and it is concluded that the species is better placed within the genus Rinodina (Ach.) Gray. New chemical data on this taxon are provided, and its sorediate variety, R. ericina var. boomii, is described as new from Portugal. Its closest affinities are shown to be with Rinodina kalbii Giralt & Matzer and probably also R. insularis (Arnold) Hafellner.This group stands apart in the family Physciaceae. It shows affinities with Diploicia A. Massal. and is included provisionally in Rinodina.

A new saxicolous genus and species, Glyphopeltis eburina Brusse, is described from southern Africa. The genus differs from Lecidea s. lat. in the peltate thallus.

A new genus, Digitothyrea, in the family Lichinaceae, is described. It includes three species formerly placed in Thyrea Massal. Studies on morphology and ascocarp ontogeny show that these are a homogeneous group of closely related species that differ significantly from taxa included in Thyrea.Digitothyrea rotundata is reported for the second time, from Northern Africa, A key is included.

The lichen Arthonia orchidicida is described as new to science from the leaves of orchids in a nursery. It is a pest organism, as it is affecting the habitus of the plants and diminishing the vitality of small plants. No prophylax is known and the lichen has to be regularly removed by rubbing it off manually. It is the first lichen reported to cause economic damage. It occurs in the Netherlands, but its country of origin is unknown.

Hair lichens are distinctive for their capillary growth and typically arboreal occurrence, especially in temperate and boreal forests. They consist of two morphogroups based on cortical pigments: a brown-black group with fungal melanin and a pale yellow-green group with usnic acid. Here we test the hypothesis that these morphogroups are ecologically distinct and thus appropriately regarded as functional groups. We examine their respective horizontal occurrence in the lower canopy of 60-year-old conifer forests on a 250 m tall volcanic cone in south-central British Columbia. Trees on open south-facing slopes and near the summit were found to support mainly melanic hair lichens (Bryoria and Nodobryoria), whereas more densely spaced trees on north-facing slopes and at the base had higher cover values of usnic lichens (especially Alectoria sarmentosa and Ramalina thrausta). The cover of melanic hair lichens was strongly correlated with canopy openness but not for their usnic counterparts. We suggest that investment in light-absorbing melanic pigments is an extreme form of specialization for high light, favouring persistence in dry, sun-exposed canopies of otherwise cool forests. By contrast, the cortex of pendent usnic hair lichens appears to facilitate optimum light transmission to underlying photobionts in shaded sites, though at the cost of sensitivity to light in open habitats, especially in rather dry regions.

In the present paper four etomentose species of Leptogium are recorded from Maharashtra, western India. Three species, viz. Leptogium patwardhanii Dube & Makhija sp. nov., Leptogium subazureum Dube & Makhija sp. nov., and Leptogium verrucosum Dube & Makhija sp. nov., are described as new to science and one species, Leptogium propaguliferum Vain., is recorded for the first time from India. A revised key to the non-hairy species of Leptogium from India is provided.

Recent field trips to Amapá and the adjacent states of Amazonas and Pará uncovered unknown lichen species with unexpected relationships. The following new species of Arthoniales are described, mainly from Amapá in North Brazil: Neosergipea hyphosa, a corticolous species with an olive-green thallus, central part verrucose, marginal zone of 5–10 mm wide consisting of procumbent branching rhizohyphae, surrounded by a pinkish brown hyphal prothallus c. 3 mm wide into which the rhizohyphae protrude, globose ascomata, c. 0·1 mm diam., arranged in stromatoid groups of 5–15, with hyaline walls, without ascospores; Neosergipea septoconidiata, a corticolous species with a bluish grey thallus and bright orange, mostly conical pycnidia with fluffy hyphal surface, hyaline conidia, 3–6-septate, filiform, 12–23×1·5–2·0 μm, with rounded ends; Nyungwea pycnidiata, from a termite nest on a tree, with abundant pycnidia that are whitish, papillate, smooth, c. 0·1–0·2 mm diam., c. 0·2–0·4 mm high, at the base covered by thallus, and hyaline conidia that are simple, ellipsoid, 2·5–4·0×1·5–2·0 μm; and Opegrapha ramisorediata, a corticolous species with a thallus with initially rounded soralia that soon cover the complete thallus with a layer of fine yellowish green branched soredia, and containing gyrophoric acid. Apothecia are not known from any of these species but sequencing elucidated their generic affiliation. The genera Neosergipea and Nyungwea were previously monotypic and Nyungwea was known only from Africa. Nyungwea anguinella (Nyl.) Aptroot comb. nov. is a further new species in the latter genus, and through these two extra species we now know about the morphology of the pycnidia and apothecia of Nyungwea, which were unknown in the type species (a sterile crust).

A new species, Placocarpus americanus, is described from the Santa Monica Mountains in Southern California. It is a juvenile parasite on Protoparmeliopsis muralis and differs from Placocarpus schaereri in having smaller non-halonate ascospores, a negative iodine reaction of the medulla, lack of inspersion of the medulla with small crystals, and having a thallus of dispersed areoles.

Six pruinose species of Hypogymnia are reported in this paper, including one new species Hypogymniapruinoidea. The type of Hypogymnia pseudopruinosa was found to be a mixture with H. laccata. Hypogymnia pseudopruinosa is therefore typified with a lectotype, and the description of H. pseudopruinosa is revised. Distributions of the six pruinose species are given and discussed. Comments on differences and similarities between pruinose species of Hypogymnia are made. Diagnostic characters of each species, and a key to the pruinose species of Hypogymnia in China, are also provided.

Punctelia perreticulata (Räsäanen) G. Wilh. & Ladd is recognized as a distinct species. The only consistent differences between P. perreticulata and P. subrudecta (Nyl.) Krog are the shape and length of conidia. Both species are widespread in the world. In P. perreticulata, there are differences in conidial length among the European, American and Australasian samples studied, but they neither correlate with differences observed in other morphological traits nor with the substratum. An epitype is selected to support the holotype of P. perreticulata, because its identity is uncertain due to the absence of conidia.

Three species are recognized as additions to the British montane lichen flora: Catillaria gilbertii sp. nov., Halecania bryophila sp. nov., and H. micacea sp. nov. All three have so far been recorded only from the mica-schist mountains of the Central Highlands of Scotland.

Abrothallus secedens Wedin & R. Sant. sp. nov., commensalistic on species of Pseudocyphellaria, from Argentina and Kenya and Abrothallus granulatae Wedin sp. nov., parasitic on Pseudocyphellariagranulata, from Argentina (Tierra del Fuego) are described. Vouauxiomycesgranulatae Wedin sp. nov., is regarded as the anamorph of A. granulatae. Sphaerellothecium minutum Hafellner is recorded for the first time from Antarctica and South America, Phaeosporobolus alpinus R. Sant., Alstrup & D. Hawksw. from Antarctica and Argentina, Arthonia epiphyscia Nyl., Dacampia rufescentis (Vouaux) D. Hawksw., Polycoccum pulvinatum (Eitner) R. Sant. And Stigmidium pumilum (Lettau) Matzer & Hafellner from South America and Nesolechia oxyspora (Tul.) Massal. and Pyrenidium actinellum Nyl. from Chile.