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An examination of collections from Japan has increased the number of Brianaria and Micarea species known from that country from eight to 19, including one new species, M. rubioides Coppins (also from Malaysia and the Philippines). Eleven species are reported as new to Japan (M. botryoides (Nyl.) Coppins, M. denigrata (Fr.) Hedl., M. erratica (Körb.) Hertel et al., M. hedlundii Coppins, M. lithinella (Nyl.) Hedl., M. micrococca (Körb.) Gams ex Coppins and M. misella (Nyl.) Hedl.) or new to Asia: M. byssacea (Th. Fr.) Czarnota et al., M. deminuta Coppins and M. xanthonica Coppins & Tønsberg (new to Asia; Japan); M. nitschkeana (J. Lahm ex Rabenh.) Harm. (new to Asia; South Korea). The presence of Micarea prasina s. str. from Japan needs to be confirmed; no collection was found in this study. Additional collections from South Korea and Sri Lanka are also reported, including the new species M. ceylanica Coppins from Sri Lanka. The identity of M. synotheoides (Nyl.) Coppins, originally described from Japan, has been resolved, resulting in the renaming of Western European material, previously under that name, as M. longispora Coppins. Micarea coreana Lőkös et al. is reported here as a synonym of M. erratica. The type of Lecidea inopinula Nyl. requires the new combination Micarea inopinula (Nyl.) Coppins & T. Sprib. to replace Micarea prasinella (Jatta) I. M. Lamb.

Since the advent of molecular taxonomy, numerous lichen-forming fungi with homoiomerous thalli initially classified in the family Collemataceae Zenker have been transferred to other families, highlighting the extent of morphological convergence within Lecanoromycetes O. E. Erikss. & Winka. While the higher level classification of these fungi might be clarified by such transfers, numerous specific and generic classifications remain to be addressed. We examined the relationships within the broadly circumscribed genus Arctomia Th. Fr., which has been the recipient of several transfers from Collemataceae. We demonstrated that Arctomia insignis (P. M. Jørg. & Tønsberg) Ertz does not belong to Arctomia s. str. but forms a strong monophyletic group with Gabura fascicularis (L.) P. M. Jørg. We also confirmed that Arctomia borbonica Magain & Sérus. and the closely related Arctomia insignis represent two species. We formally transferred A. insignis and A. borbonica to the genus Gabura Adans. and introduced two new combinations: Gabura insignis and Gabura borbonica. We reported Gabura insignis from Europe (Scotland and Ireland) for the first time. While material from Europe and North America is genetically almost identical, specimens from Madagascar, South Africa and Reunion Island belong to three distinct phylogenetic lineages, all of which are present in the latter area and may represent distinct species. In its current circumscription, the genus Gabura may contain up to six species, whereas Arctomia s. str. includes only two species (A. delicatula Th. Fr. and A. teretiuscula P. M. Jørg.). The Gabura insignis group is shown to have an unexpectedly large, subcosmopolitan distribution. With the extended sampling from Arctomiaceae Th. Fr., the placement of Steinera sorediata P. James & Henssen in the genus Steinera Zahlbr. is confirmed and the presence of a new Steinera species from Chile is highlighted.

Rinodinais a widespread, polyphyletic genus of crustosePhysciaceaewithc. 300 species worldwide. A major missing link in understanding its global biogeography has been eastern Asia where the genus has never been systematically revised. Here we review specimen and literature records forRinodinafor north-eastern Asia (Russian Far East, Japan and the Korean Peninsula) and recognize 43 species. We describe two species,R. hypobadiaandR. orientalis, as new to science.Rinodina hypobadiais distinguished by its pigmented hypothecium,Dirinaria-type ascospores and pannarin in both thallus and epihymenium.Rinodina orientalisis characterized by its erumpent apothecia that remain broadly attached, with discs sometimes becoming convex and excluding the thalline margins, ascospores belonging to thePhyscia-type and secondary metabolites absent. Nine other species are reported from the region for the first time. These includeR. dolichospora,R. freyi,R. metaboliza,R. sicula,R. subminutaandR. willeyi. Of particular biogeographical interest are three additional new records that have western North American–eastern Asian distributions: the corticolous speciesR. endospora,R. macrosporaandR. megistospora. Six species have the better known eastern North American–eastern Asian distributions:R. ascociscana(syn.R. akagiensis,R. melancholica),R. buckii,R. chrysidiata,R. subminuta,R. tenuis(syn.R. adirondackii) andR. willeyi, and two have eastern North American–eastern Asian–European distributions:R. excrescensandR. moziana(syn.R. destituta,R. vezdae). Our study begins to close one of the largest gaps in our knowledge of circumboreal species distributions inRinodinaand, together with previous studies in North America and Europe, provides new insights into circumboreal crustose lichen biogeography.Rinodina cinereovirens(syn.R. turfaceavar. cinereovirens) is also reported as new to North America.

A new, highly effective primer pair to exclude algae when amplifying nuclear large ribosomal subunit (LS) DNA from lichens

Spilonema was originally described to accommodate an unusual group of cyanolichens with thread-like, cushion-forming thalli, and has long been placed in Coccocarpiaceae based on ascomatal development. However, Spilonema is the only genus of Peltigerales to include species lichenized with the cyanobacterial genus Stigonema, and the evolutionary relationships of Spilonema to other genera in the family have yet to be tested using molecular data. We present evidence from combined nuclear 28S, 18S and mitochondrial 12S rDNA to confirm the placement of the core species of Spilonema (S. paradoxum and S. revertens) in Coccocarpiaceae. Our data further show that despite possessing a different genus of photobiont (Scytonema), the north Pacific endemic genus Spilonemella must be included within Spilonema, suggesting that closely related species of the genus have changed photobionts in the course of evolution. However, we recovered Spilonema dendroides, one of the only lichens known to associate with the cyanobacterial genus Hyphomorpha, as only distantly related to the Coccocarpiaceae. The evolutionary relationships of this species are as yet unclear but it may occupy a basal position in the Peltigerales. We create for this species the new genus Erinacellus T. Sprib., Muggia & Tønsberg.

A taxonomic and biogeographic overview of the genusMyrionorais provided. Two species are recognized,M. albidula(Willey) R. C. Harris andM. pseudocyphellariae(Etayo) S. Ekman & Palice comb. nov. The genus is characterized by polysporous asci, the presence of crystals in the hymenium and proper exciple that partly consist of lobaric acid, and a photobiont with large cells (mostly in the range 12–20 µm).Myrionora albidulais currently known from Germany, Norway, Sweden, the Russian Federation (Altayskiy Kray, Chelyabinskaya Oblast', Khabarovskiy Kray and Zabaykal'skiy Kray), and the United States (Alaska, Connecticut, Maine and Massachusetts). It inhabits bark of deciduous trees and shrubs and conifers over a wide range of latitudes.Myrionora pseudocyphellariaeis known from Chile and Ecuador, where it has been encountered on lichens and decaying bark. Based on morphological characteristics, we conclude thatMyrionorabelongs in theRamalinaceae.

The crustose lichen genusMycoblastusin the Northern Hemisphere includes eight recognized species sharing large, simple ascospores produced 1–2 per ascus in strongly pigmented biatorine apothecia. The monophyly ofMycoblastusand the relationship of its various species toTephromelataceaehave never been studied in detail. Data from ITS rDNA and the genes coding for translation elongation factor 1-α and DNA replication licensing factor mini-chromosome maintenance complex 7 support the distinctness ofMycoblastuss. str. from the core of theTephromelataceae, but recoverM. fucatusand an undescribed Asian species as strongly supported within the latter group. We propose accommodating these two species in a new genus,Violella, which is characterized by its brownish inner ascospore walls, Fucatus-violet hymenial pigment granules and secondary chemistry, and discuss the position ofViolellarelative toCalvitimelaandTephromela. We describe the new speciesViolella wangiiT. Sprib. & Goffinet to accommodate a new species with roccellic acid from Bhutan, China, India and the Russian Far East. We also excludeMycoblastus indicusAwasthi & Agarwal from the genusMycoblastusand propose for it the new combinationMalmidea indica(Awasthi & Agarwal) Hafellner & T. Sprib.

The new lichenicolous fungus Llimoniella cinnabarinae growing on Ramboldia cinnabarina from Alaska is described. The lack of excipular or epihymenial K+ purplish, violet or green pigmentsplaces it near the recently described L. phaeophysciae group. Its affinity with Llimoniella and othermembers of lichenicolous Helotiales is discussed. Key words: lichenicolous fungus, lichens, North America, taxonomy Introduction Thegenus Llimoniella wasintroducedfortwolichenicolous fungi growing on terricolouslichens of gypsum soils (Hafellner N Diederich et al .2010). The original concept of Llimoniella hasrecentlybeenenlargedtoincludeagroupof taxa, referred to as the L. phaeophysciae group, which does not exhibit the K+ violet,purplish or green pigments in the epi-hymenium and excipulum but are other-wise typical of Llimoniella (Diederich et al .2010). During the course of recent work onlichens and lichenicolous fungi in Alaska(e.g., Spribille

Elixia cretica T. Sprib. & Lumbsch is described as a new species from the mountains of western Crete. The second member of the previously monotypic genus and only the third member of the family Elixiaceae, it is distinguished by its surficial thallus, larger ascospores and corticolous habit. Molecular phylogenetic analysis based on a sequence of mitochondrial small subunit DNA confirms the position of the new species. We also report E. flexella from New Hampshire (USA) as new to eastern North America.

The new lichen genus Myochroidea is described to accommodate four species of the Lecidea leprosula group. Myochroidea is characterized by a crustose, areolate, minutely crenate to almost coralloid or indistinct, grey-brown to olive-brown thallus, reddish brown apothecia with an often persistent margin, moderately branched and anastomosing paraphyses with often swollen, pigmented apical cells, asci of the Micarea-type, and colourless, one-celled, fusiform to broadly ellipsoid ascospores. The new combinations Myochroidea leprosula (Arnold) Printzen, T. Sprib. & Tønsberg comb. nov., M. porphyrospoda (Anzi) Printzen, T. Sprib. & Tønsberg comb. nov., M. rufofusca (Anzi) Printzen, T. Sprib. & Tønsberg comb. nov. and the new species M. minutula Printzen, T. Sprib. & Tønsberg are published. Lecidea porphyroplaca Hinteregger & Poelt is a synonym of M. rufofusca. Descriptions of the four species and an identification key are provided. Myochroidea leprosula and M. rufofusca are reported as new to North America.

Lecidea rubrocastanea T. Sprib. & Printzen is described as new from conifer bark and wood in montane valleys of inland British Columbia, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington State. It is characterized by its combination of a crustose olivaceous thallus lacking secondary lichen substances, small, dark burgundy-red or maroon apothecia, dark-capped paraphyses, Lecidella-type ascus, small, thin-walled ascospores, and bacilliform conidia. The generic affinities of the species based on analysis of ITS DNA are unclear, but it has numerous morphological traits in common with Japewia.

Schaereria dolodes (Nyl. ex Hasse) Schmull & T. Sprib. comb. nov., an epiphytic lichen species known from western North America was originally described as a member of the genus Lecidea sensu lato. However, its morphology is very characteristic of the genus Schaereria Körb. Here, we lectotypify the species and propose its placement in the latter genus. It is also reported as new to Canada from British Columbia.

Micarea subalpina sp. nov. is described from plant detritus in subalpine forest parkland in the mountains of western Montana (USA). It has similarities to M. assimilata and M. erratica.