A new species Fouragea gyrophorica is described from China. It is most similar to F. vegae, but differs by its sparsely to densely branched apothecia, and it often has an obvious prothallus, and the presence of gyrophoric acid detected by TLC. This is the first report that Fouragea contains lichen substances. An analysis of its relationships based on molecular phylogeny is given. A world key to the species of Fouragea is also presented.

Comparative studies of oil cells in the air chamber side walls of eight Japanese taxa of Marchantiaceae showed that three morphological groups can be recognized based on this character: (1) Marchantia polymorpha and M. paleacea with conspicuous and whitish oil cells, (2) M. emarginata, M. papillata and M. pinnata with indistinct and nearly hyaline oil cells, and (3) Preissia quadrata without oil cells. This grouping is congruent with the results of existing phylogenetic analyses involving Marchantiaceae taxa. The morphology of oil cells in the side walls of air chambers should be used as a new taxonomic character within the family Marchantiaceae.

Photosynthetic organisms possess a great diversity of mechanisms to protect themselves from the potentially stressful effects of high PAR (photosynthetically active radiation). A distinctive response to longer term exposure to high levels of PAR in lichens is the synthesis of a variety of substances in the upper cortex that can protect photobionts from photoinhibition. In the present study, lichen substances were removed harmlessly from lichens using the “acetone rinsing” method. This enabled us to compare the importance of the substances in photoprotection in sun and shade collections of four species of Afromontane lichens. While all species normally grow in more exposed microhabitats, it is easy to make collections of more shaded thalli. Using chlorophyll fluorescence, we show that collections of lichens from sunny microhabitats have higher tolerance to photoinhibition than those from shaded locations. Furthermore, removal of lichen substances increases sensitivity to photoinhibition, suggesting that even although colorless, they have a role in protecting against high PAR. Sensitivity was increased much more in sun than shade collections, implying that substances play a greater role in photoprotection in lichens from sunny microhabitats. Nevertheless, following the removal of lichen substances, most sun collections still possess higher tolerance to photoinhibition than shade collections. Therefore, the additional tolerance of sun collections appears derive from a combination of both lichen substances and other, probably more biochemical tolerance mechanisms.

Richard Clinton Harris (6 December 1939–10 May 2021) is remembered by his husband and partner of over 46 years. Students and colleagues (Teuvo Ahti, Jessica Allen, Anja Amtoft, André Aptroot, Lois Brako, Irwin Brodo, Paul Diederich, Kendra Driscoll, Elizabeth Kneiper, Doug Ladd, James Lendemer, Zachary Muscavitch, and Rebecca Yahr) provide remembrances of how Dick influenced lichenology in general and them in particular.

Women have long been underrepresented in the sciences, and their contributions are often overlooked. Previous work has demonstrated a significant productivity gap between men and women when investigating vascular plant authorities and the naming of plant taxa. No study has directly investigated gender inequity, as depicted through authority identity, in the field of lichenology. Our research goal was to describe patterns in gender identity and country of origin for authors of North American lichens. We compiled and analyzed information from the North American Lichen Checklist (including U.S.A. and Canada but not Mexico), independent research, and a gender API to identify the full name, suspected gender, birth year, and country of origin of 889 authors (i.e., people listed as authorities of North American lichen taxa). Of the total 4,895 unique lichen taxa in North America, only 3.2% species were named by a woman. Even standardized by co-authors, men authors contributed significantly more than women authors in this field. We also noted that most authors originated from Europe or the United States. This work suggests that the field of lichenology could provide more support systems for American or Canadian women to contribute naming of new taxa or combinations. While our work focused only on authoring new species as a contribution, we recognize that women may be contributing in other notable ways to lichenology in North America.

Syntrichia lithophila (Dusén) Ochyra & R.H.Zander is reported for the first time from the northern hemisphere from Oregon, U.S.A., based on specimens collected during a project to better understand the bryoflora of eastern Oregon. This species represents a new amphitropical disjunct moss species to the Americas. We provide a full description of the species, photographs, and location map of the new Oregon specimen.

Dicranum is one of the most diverse and widespread genera within the Dicranaceae. Species diversity and distribution in this genus, however, remain not well known. During our recent expeditions to the Hengduan Mountains in China, we found an interesting moss referrable to Dicranum species that is characterized by the stiff and fragile leaves, bistratose alar cells, and by the costal cross-section in the lower portion without stereid bands with one layer of cells above and below guide cells. Morphological and molecular-phylogenetic analyses based on five chloroplast markers (rpoB, rps4-trnT, rps19-rpl2, trnH-psbA, and trnL-trnF) and one nuclear marker (ITS region) suggest that this unknown moss represents a new species here described as D. hengduanensis. The plastome of this new species presented in this study is the first complete plastome of Dicranum.

Calicium sperlingiae is described as new from Oregon, U.S.A. It was collected on the bark of Pseudotsuga menziesii on lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management, United States Department of the Interior. It is placed in Calicium based on morphology (stalked apothecia with black mazaedia and brown 2-celled, ellipsoidal ascospores) and molecular data. Phylogenetic relationships are inferred using the ITS region. The species is characterized by its superficial and well-developed, grayish-white, granular to leprose thallus, I– apothecia, moderately white-pruinose mazaedia, and relatively short clavate asci. A key to the North American species of Calicium is provided.

In this study, we revised the lichen collection at the Herbario Amazonico Colombiano (coah) in Bogotá, Colombia. The collection has a total of nearly 2,400 specimens, with some duplicates in the Herbario Nacional (col) and in the herbarium of the Botanic Garden in Berlin (b). The revision of 1,861 specimens revealed 574 species in 142 genera and 44 families, among which there are 28 species new to science and seven new combinations. Previously, 324 species had been reported from the Colombian Amazon, and our revision resulted in a new total of 666 species, more than doubling the previous number. All 666 species are enumerated here in the first comprehensive checklist of lichens from the Colombian Amazon. A total of 157 new country records (53 already reported in the new Catalogue of Fungi of Colombia) increase the number of lichens known from Colombia to 2,827. The following species are described as new: Allographa exuens, differing from A. argentata by the lirellae with the corticiform layer soon flaking off and exposing the black labia, the only finely inspersed hymenium, and the narrower ascospores; A. guainiae, differing from Graphis syzygii in the prominent ascomata with lateral thalline margin and whitish thallus remnants between the striae; A. labiata, differing from A. immersa in the prominent lirellae with conspicuous, entire, exposed labia, an inspersed hymenium, longer ascospores, and stictic acid as secondary compound; A. lichexanthonica, differing from A. sitiana in producing lichexanthone; A. sessilis, differing from A. contortuplicata in the muriform ascospores; A. suprainspersata, differing from A. angustata in the very thin thalline cover of the ascomata and the apically inspersed hymenium; Astrothelium bireagens, differing from A. cinnamomeum by the broader, apically flattened perithecia covered by a thin, ferruginous-red, K+ deep purple pruina and internally with an ochraceous-yellow, K+ deep yellow pigment; A. stromatolucidum, differing from A. neovariolosum in the distinctly pseudostromatic ascomata; Carbacanthographis submultiseptata, differing from C. multiseptata in the narrower ascospores and the indistinct periphysoids; Chapsa inconspicua, differing from C. angustispora in the smooth to uneven versus farinose thallus and in the much shorter ascospores; Coenogonium velutinellum, differing from C. pineti in the finely velvety, rather thick thallus composed of irregular to erect, densely packed algal threads covered by a thin pseudocortex; Fellhanera naevioides, differing from F. naevia in the finely dispersed, minutely crenulate thallus and the blackish apothecia; Fissurina sipmanii, differing from F. amazonica in the shorter and broader, slightly gaping, somewhat chroodiscoid ascomata, and the amyloid ascospores; Glyphis lirellizans, differing from Glyphis substriatula in the erumpent vs. prominent lirellae with lateral thalline margin and the exposed disc; Graphis papillifera, differing from G. stellata in the lirellae lacking a thalline margin, very elongate and irregularly to radiately branched and not in stellate clusters, and in the 5-septate ascospores; G. pseudoglyphis, differing from Graphis stellata in the non-verrucose thallus, the branched lirellae which do not, however, form stellate clusters, and the shorter ascospores; Malmidea flavimarginata, differing from M. bacidinoides in the pale yellow, K+ deep yellow medulla and yellow, K+ deep yellow excipular crystals, as well as the smaller ascospores; M. isidiopiperina, differing from M. taytayensis in the smaller ascospores; M. papillitrailiana, differing from M. trailiana in the papillose apothecial margins; Myriotrema araracuarense, differing from Myriotrema muluense in the non-annulate pores of the apothecia and in the longer ascospores; Ocellularia areolata, differing from Ocellularia rhicnoporoides in the pigmented medulla and the larger, more prominent apothecia with completely carbonized excipulum; O. caquetensis, differing from Ocellularia rotundifumosa in the absence of a columella; O. inspersipallens, differing from O. viridipallens in the inspersed hymenium and the 5–7-septate ascospores; O. rufocinctoides, differing from O. rufocincta in the thallus lacking large and irregular crystal clusters, in the more prominent apothecia and in the smaller ascospores; O. sipmanii, differing from Ocellularia abbayesiana in the smaller, 3-septate ascospores; Pseudopyrenula daironii, differing from all other species of the genus in the aggregate perithecia with shared ostiole and the internal orange-red pigment granules lining the perithecial wall; Pyrenula asymmetrica, differing from Pyrenula papilligera in the longer, almost rectangular ascospores; and Redingeria pseudostromatica, differing from other species in the genus in the pseudostromatic ascomata with small, rounded apothecia, in combination with 1-septate ascospores. In addition, the following seven new combinations are proposed: Bacidina cyanophila (≡ Bacidina simplex var. cyanophila), Malmidea sorediifera (≡ Lecanora sorediifera), Ocellularia fuscescens (≡ Thelotrema fuscescens), Phaeographis cymbegrapha (≡ Graphis cymbegrapha; = Phaeographis amazonica Staiger], Polyblastidium flavosquamosum (≡ Heterodermia flavosquamosa), Polyblastidium lamelligerum (≡ Parmelia lamelligera), and Polyblastidium rottboellii (≡ Anaptychia hypoleuca var. rottboellii).