Lecania poeltii v.d. Boom, Alonso & Egea sp. nov. is described from Portugal and northern Africa. The species is characterized by its inconspicuous hairs on thallus and apothecia, in which it differs from the other known species of the genus.

Myeloconis P. M. McCarthy & Elix gen. nov. is described from the Neotropics and the eastern Paleotropics. Four new species, M. erumpens, M. fecunda, M. guyanenis and M. parva, are recognized. The genus is characterized by a medulla containing previously unknown yellow or orange pigments and perithecioid ascomata with a dark, dense, almost pseudostromatal wall, a basally anastomosing, but otherwise free, hamathecium, uniformly thin-walled asci and elongate, muriform ascospores. While its affinities are uncertain, the ascomata and their contents suggest a rather close relationship with Porina Müll. Arg. and ClathroporinaMüll. Arg. (Trichotheliaceae).

Hyalopyrenia japonica Harada (lichenized Ascomycotina) is described as new genus on the basis of a specimen from friable rock in forests in Chiba-ken, central Japan. It is characterized by a poorly developed crustose thallus, a Trentepohlia phycobiont, immersed perithecia with hyaline walls, simple paraphyses and periphyses, non-amyloid bitunicate asci with an ocular chamber, and transversely septate hyaline spores. Hyalopyrenia is monotypic, and its taxonomic position is uncertain.

The new genus Bulbothricella (Lichenized Ascomycotina,Parmeliaceae with the single species B. amazonensis (Marcano, Galiz & Morales) Marcano, Galiz, Morales & Mohali is segregated from Bulbothrix. This conclusion is based on an investigation of morphological, anatomical and chemical characters using scanning electron microscopy and thin-layer chromatography. The new genus is characterized by a pored epicortex, 12—14 spores per ascus, obovate and acrogenous conidia, and an anatomical structure and cortical chemistry resembling that of Bulbothrix..

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.

Nine specimens of Pyrenula japonica Kurokawa were collected from various areas in Japan. Photobionts were isolated from their thalli and studied taxonomically. As a result, only one species of green alga,Trentepohlia lagenifera(Hild.) Wille was identified as the photobiont of Pyrenula japonica. This is the first record of this alga from the lichen genus Pyrenula.

Epiphytic lichen and bryophyte species composition, richness and diversity were surveyed on basal trunks of six common old-growth forest tree species, Picea abies, Pinus sylvestris, Betula pendula, Alnus incana, Salix caprea and Populus tremula, in two old-growth forest areas, one in southern and one in middle boreal Finland. The average species numbers per tree ranged from 18 (Picea) to 27 (Salix) in the southern and from 20 (Populus) to 31 (Salix) in the middle boreal area. A few widespread habitat-generalist species, such as the foliose lichens Hypogymnia physodes and Platismatia glauca, were most abundant on all the tree species, except Populus. Most other epiphyte species showed at least a slight preference for one or two tree species. Populus proved to have the most distinct flora characterized by the abundance of certain, rather specialized crustose lichens and bryophytes. The number of species that occurred on only one tree species was highest on Populus (9) in the southern and on Alnus (18) in the middle boreal area. Differences in bark acidity and structure were the most likely explanations for the differences between tree species in the epiphytic flora and diversity. Salix and Populus were the most important of the tree species studied for the conservation of epiphyte diversity in the boreal forests of Finland.

Lipids and fatty acids from the lichen Rhizoplaca peltata, growing either high in the mountains or in nearby foothills, were analysed and compared. It was shown that the same lichen species had considerable differences in the content of triacylglycerols, free sterols, wax esters, steryl esters, glycolipids, betaine and phospholipids, as well as in fatty acid content, depending on altitude.