Byssoloma llimonae, a new species described from NE Spain, Madeira and the Canary Islands (Gomera, La Palma and Tenerife), is a mostly corticolous species, closely related to the more widespread and usually foliicolous Bapalmuia kakouettae (=Byssoloma aptrootii). The generic position of this group of species within the Pilocarpaceae is still unclear. The new combination Byssoloma kakouettae (Sérus.) R. Lücking & Sérus. is introduced.

Eleven Xanthoparmelia species have been identified from Italy. A key to the species is provided and the distinguishing morphological and chemical characters, distribution, ecology, substratum preference and interrelationships of each are discussed. Xanthoparmelia cumberlandia is reported for the first time from Europe; X. angustiphylla and X. plittii are new to Italy.

Porina fortunata P. M. McCarthy & Etayo sp. nov. (Trichotheliaceae) is described from shaded basalt in Gomera, Canary Islands. It is characterized by a richly rimose to areolate thallus, small, prominent and outwardly blackish perithecia that are internally orange-brown and narrow and elongate, 3(-7)-septate ascospores.

A new corticolous species of Buellia is described from La Palma and La Gomera (Canary Islands). It is mainly characterized by its strongly ornamented, (l-2)-3-septate ascospores with apical and septa thickenings, which follow an ascospore-ontogeny of type B, and its chemistry. The new species is compared with the related Buellia lauricassiae (Fée) Mü. Arg. and B. lauricassiaeoides Aptroot. Illustrations of the ascospores of B. laurocanariensis and B. lauricassiaeoides are presented. A habit photograph of the new species is also provided.

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

Nine new species of foliicolous lichens are described from Los Tuxtlas Tropical Biology Station, Veracruz, Mexico: Asterothyrium atromarginatum sp. nov. (Asterothyriaceae), Enterographa perez-higaredae sp. nov. (Roccellaceae), Gyalectidium barbatum sp. nov., G. pallidum sp. nov., G. ulloae sp. nov. (Gomphillaceae), Opegrapha heliabravoa sp. nov., O. tuxtlensis sp. nov. (Roccellaceae), Pocsia alvari sp. nov. (Verrucariaceae) and Tricharia sublancicarpa sp. nov. (Gomphillaceae). Pycnidia are reported for the first time in Coenogonium hypophyllum (Vězda) Kalb & Lücking.

Four species of corticolous lichenized and non-lichenized ascomycetes are described from a tropical lowland rainforest in southern Venezuela: Mycomicrothelia xanthonica Komposch, Aptroot & Hafellner along with the closely related M. macrocarpa Komposch, Aptroot & Hafellner (Arthopyreniaceae), Pseudopyrenula cryptotheca Komposch, Aptroot & Hafellner (Trypetheliaceae), and Ancistrosporella psoromica Komposch, Aptroot & Hafellner (Opegraphaceae). Descriptions and illustrations are presented and the relationships of the taxa discussed. In addition, the following new combination is proposed: Ancistrosporella curvata (Aptroot) Komposch (Opegrapha curvata Aptroot). Ancistroporella G.Thor is regarded as typographical error and corrected to Ancistrosporella.

Primers for amplification and sequencing of partial glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (gpd) gene were designed for lichenized fungi. The 5’ gpd primer is most probably fungal specific, since a BLAST search in GenBank found identical sequences only from ascomycetous taxa, whereas the 3’ gpd primer was more universal. Utility of the gpd primers and previously designed beta-tubulin primers was tested in nine lichen taxa. Both the gpd and beta-tubulin primer pairs amplified in most of the taxa examined: the gpd primers generated a c. 1100 nucleotide fragment, whereas the PCR product obtained from the beta-tubulin primers was c. 900 nucleotides long. The gpd amplification products of Cladonia arbuscula and C. rangiferina were sequenced and both were found to contain three introns, the length of which varied between 49 to 83 nucleotides. To examine the applicability of gpd sequences in resolving relationships within Ascomycota, trees were calculated from 22 fungal gpd sequences obtained from GenBank together with the two Cladonia sequences using parsimony jackknifing. The gpd tree was compared with the SSU rDNA tree of the respective species (or genera). A similar analysis of the beta-tubulin gene was not performed, because only a few beta-tublin sequences from the same taxa were available in GenBank. The gpd tree was well resolved but in conflict with the SSU rDNA tree. In contrast to the SSU rDNA tree, the gpd tree did not support the monophyly of the Ascomycota. Analysis of the combined data set produced a tree very similar to that of the SSU rDNA data. However, the relationship of Lecanorales to the other orders remained unresolved. Even though gpd and beta-tubulin are highly conserved proteins, the third codon positions and introns are variable and both genes have the potential for inferring phylogenetic relationships at the lower taxonomic levels in the lichenized fungi. The two genes may be useful even below species level, depending on the species investigated.

In contrast to virtually all other species of ruminants, reindeer (Rangifer arandus) eat substantial amounts of lichens in winter. Several different species of lichens are eaten and most are highly palatable. The chemical composition and the in vitro digestibility of six species of terricolous lichens commonly eaten by reindeer were measured. Ruminal inoculum was obtained in winter from six free-ranging reindeer that had been grazing on natural pastures in northern Norway. Analysis of the plant parts recovered from their rumens confirmed that the animals had been eating a mixed diet that included both lichens and vascular plants. The chemical composition and the in vitro digestibility of the different species of lichens varied considerably between species and genera. Cetraria islandica, C. nivalis and Cladonia arbuscula were highly digestible [69-77% dry matter (DM)], Stereocaulon paschale was poorly digestible (43% DM), whereas Cladonia stellaris and C. gradlis had an intermediate digestibility (56-57% DM). Mixing ladonia stellaris with vascular plants (50:50) had no effect on the in vitro digestibility of the combined substrates. The in vitro digestibility of Cladonia stellaris in inoculum from two captive reindeer which had had no access to lichens was very low (10% DM). This shows that the source of inoculum used for digestibility trials has a major effect on the apparent digestibility of the substrates. Evidently, the extent to which reindeer are able to utilize lichens depends on the species that are selected and on what the animals have been eating recently.

The first FT-Raman spectroscopic study of foliicolous lichens is reported. Detailed spectra obtained by macroscopic and microscopic means for Calenia triseptata Zahlbr., Echinoplaca strigulacea (Müll. Arg.) R.Sant. and Tricharia carnea (Müll. Arg.) R.Sant. collected from Costa Rican rainforests have been interpreted mainly in terms of their xalate content. The Raman spectra show a significant presence of calcium oxalate monohydrate (whewellite) despite the lack of calcium ions available in the leaf itself. A reasonable explanation for its presence could be the result of the incorporation of calcium ions from airborne dust and/or dissolved in rain falling on the canopy.