Lichenopeltella coppinsii Earland-Bennett & D. Hawksw. is described as a new species growing on Verrucaria muralis in Norfolk. It is compared with other species of the genus occurring on pyrenocarpous lichens in particular, and is close to the species informally called ‘L. hydrophila R. Sant.’, a name that has never been validly published.

The foliicolous species Bacidia colchica Vězda was described from the eastern coast of the Black Sea (Vězda 1979, 1983) and is also known from SW France (Sérusiaux 1989; Sérusiaux et al. 2002) and S Italy (Puntillo 2000; Puntillo et al. 2000). However, its morphological features, such as the structure of the exciple, morphology of the paraphyses and ascus type, do not fit the current concept of Bacidia De Not. (Ekman 1996, 2001) but place this taxon in the Pilocarpaceae. The current circumscription of Pilocarpaceae is still under discussion, as well as the concept of some genera at present included in this family (Sérusiaux 1993; Lücking et al. 1994; Kalb et al. 2000; Lücking et al. 2001a; Sérusiaux et al. 2002; Andersen & Ekman 2005). In particular, the position of B. colchica should be in Fellhanera Vězda (Vězda 1986; Lücking et al. 1994; Sérusiaux 1996; Lücking 1997). Although several recent works have dealt with the European species of the genus Fellhanera (Sérusiaux 1996; Aptroot et al. 1998; Sparrius & Aptroot 2000; Sérusiaux et al. 2001; Sparrius 2002; Spier et al. 2002), none of them included B. colchica, despite some of the papers considering foliicolous taxa.

Three new species of Menegazzia are described and illustrated, and their relationships and affinities to other species in the genus discussed. Menegazziabjerkeana Kantvilas is an isidiate species from the coastal ranges of New South Wales; M. brattii Kantvilas is an eight-spored species related to the widespread M. pertransita (Müll. Arg.) R. Sant., and is endemic to Kerguelen Island; and M. gallowayi Kantvilas is an eight-spored species from South Island, New Zealand. Menegazzia sanguinascens (Räsänen) R. Sant. is recorded from Kerguelen for the first time.

A molecular phylogeny of the genus Byssoloma is inferred from mtSSU sequences using Bayesian and maximum likelihood phylogenetic analyses. Byssoloma subdiscordans is resolved as sister to B. citricola rather than to the B. leucoblepharum clade, the B. subundulatum group (species with a compact apothecial margin) is shown to be a monophyletic group, and three species belonging to this group are described as new to science from Hainan Province in China: B. brunneodiscum W. C. Wang & J. C. Wei, with dark brown apothecia, crystals in the excipulum and the presence of 2,5,7-trichloro-3-O-methylnorlichexanthone; B. rubrofuscum W. C. Wang & J. C. Wei, with red-brown apothecia, 3–6-septate ascospores and the presence of 5,7-dichloro-3-O-methylnorlichexanthone; B. melanodiscocarpum W. C. Wang & J. C. Wei, with pure black apothecia, a K+ olive-black hypothecium and the presence of thiophanic acid.

Rhizocarpon quinonum McCune, Timdal & Bendiksby is described as a new species from two sites in Katmai National Park, south-western Alaska, in a suboceanic climate near the limit of trees on the Alaska Peninsula. Most similar in external appearance to R. arctogenum, R. bolanderi, R. leptolepis, and R. rittokense, the species is distinguished by the presence of an anthraquinone as a major substance. Mature apothecia are unknown, but ITS sequences are most similar to those of R. copelandii and R. jemtlandicum, although those species differ greatly in morphology from R. quinonum.

Three new species of Diploicia are described from the Galapagos Islands and a fourth, D. glebosa, is transferred from Pyxine; all four are considered endemic to the archipelago. In order to accommodate these species, the generic concept of Diploicia has been emended. Two of the species are sterile; D. leproidica is placodioid-leproid, where the thalli derive from pseudocorticate granules aggregating into small, placodioid rosettes with distinctly lobate margins. The second sterile species, D. squamulosa, forms scattered squamules that eventually aggregate into small, placodioid rosettes. The two fertile species, D. glebosa, with an olivaceous to beige, smooth, epruinose upper surface, and D. neotropica, with a white to grey-white, roughened, pruinose upper surface, form larger thalli typical of Diploicia, have apothecia that are initially lecideine, but are soon engulfed and hidden by a thick thalline margin. Anatomically the proper exciple remains visible for a considerable part of the ontogeny, although it eventually becomes almost completely reduced to a few pigmented or almost hyaline hyphae. This transition from lecideine to lecanorine apothecia is similar to the physciaeformis-type ontogeny observed in some Pyxine species. Several species currently accommodated in Buellia s. lat. with diploicin and effigurate thalli that lack distinctly lobate margins are discussed and the Socotran endemic Physcia endopyxinea is transferred into Diploicia.

%The new saxicolous species P. clercii Messuti & A. W. Archer is described. The following two taxa are reported for the first time from Africa: P. petrophyes C. Knight and P. subventosa var. deficiens A. W. Archer & Elix. A brief description of each species is given together with notes on their chemistry, distribution, ecology and taxonomy.

The new combination Ocellomma rediuntum (Stizenb. ex Hasse) Kantvilas, Gueidan & Tehler is proposed, supported by morphological, anatomical and molecular data. Hitherto known only from the Californian coast, this species is here recorded for Kangaroo Island (South Australia), Victoria and Tasmania. It is described and illustrated from Australian collections. The ecology of the species and its remarkable distribution are discussed.

Clypeococcum wedinii, a pyrenocarpous ascomycete growing on the lichen genus Bunodophoron in Chile and New Zealand, is described as new to science. It differs from other Clypeococcum species in the combination of the following characteristics: a conspicuous gall formation, scattered, loose to dense stromatic growths sometimes looking like a clypeus, an ascomatal wall composed of both textura intricata and angularis in surface view, a non-amyloid hymenium, an absence of ostiolar filaments, 8-spored asci, and 1-septate ascospores arranged biseriately in the ascus. An updated key to the species of the lichenicolous genus Clypeococcum is provided.

The genus Hypogymnia is morphologically characterized by swollen lobes, a hollow medulla, perforations in the lower surface, and the absence of rhizines. In our studies on Hypogymnia spp. we found rhizines and hapters were occasionally present on the lower surface of 35 species. Morphology and anatomy of the appendage-organs were studied using dissecting, compound, and scanning electron microscopy and compared with rhizines found in the related genus Arctoparmelia. Two types of rhizine-like structures were found in Hypogymnia: slender and elongated rhizines, and thick and short hapters, both of which were few in number and sparsely distributed on the lower surface. There are no obvious differences in the morphology of rhizines between Arctoparmelia and Hypogymnia, except that rhizines are abundant in Arctoparmelia. Within Parmeliaceae, Hypogymnia belongs to the hypogymnioid clade together with the genera Arctoparmelia, Brodoa, and Pseudevernia, most of which are considered to lack rhizines. The occurrence of rhizines in Hypogymnia is consistent with the placement of Arctoparmelia in the hypogymnioid clade based on molecular data.

Heppia arenacea M. Schultz and Lempholemma polycarpum M. Schultz are described as new and placed in the Lichinaceae. Heppia arenacea occurs in soil-crust communities in southern Yemen and on Socotra. It colonizes both calcareous soil-crusts over limestone as well as soils originating from basaltic rocks. The sand-coloured, squamulose thallus, the erumpent, dark red apothecia and the incorporation of soil material into the thallus are diagnostic characters. Lempholemma polycarpum occurs on inclined limestone boulders in south-eastern Yemen. It is characterized by an umbilicate-lobate thallus with radiating, tongue-shaped, furcate lobes which bear numerous, small, immersed apothecia with punctiform discs.

Oliver Gilbert was a pioneer, an outstanding field botanist and inspirational scientist. He worked in the broad fields of urban and lichen ecology and had almost 40 years of teaching and research experience within universities. Above all he was very approachable, an excellent teacher and fun to be with. Oliver was a leading figure in the British Lichen Society serving as BLS Bulletin Editor (1980–89 except 1987), President (1976–77) and was a frequent Council Member. He was elected an Honorary Member in 1997 and received the prestigious Ursula Duncan Award in January 2004. Oliver had an exceptional ability to find rare and interesting lichens and plant communities that others had overlooked and he constantly challenged conventional wisdom that particular habitats were uninteresting, especially urban habitats. His ecological ‘field craft’ skills were equally legendary. Passion for field work and British Lichen Society field meetings led him to organize a small grant awards scheme to stimulate others to attend field meetings and to submit their results for publication in the BLS Bulletin.

Arhothelium saxicolum Makhija & Patwardhan sp. nov. is described from India. It occurs abundantly only on basaltic rock and is restricted to the northern parts of Western Ghats, South-West India.

Verrucaria cootapatambensis sp. nov. is described from sandstone boulders in an alpine, snow-melt creek in Kosciuszko National Park, New South Wales, Australia.