The new lichenicolous genus Ameroconium (dematiaceous hyphomycetes), with its type species A. cladoniae and the new lichenicolous species Phoma psoromatis (pycnidial coelomycetes), are described, discussed and illustrated. Phoma lobariae is recorded for the first time from the Arctic, Russia and Asia on Lobaria linita.

A saxicolous Graphis discovered in the southern part of South Korea is described as new to science. The new species, Graphis koreana sp. nov., is characterized by a green to brownish green, thick, rimose thallus, completely carbonized proper exciple, trans-septate to submuriform ascospores and the presence of norstictic acid.

Acanthothecis salazinica and Diorygma archeri are described from Vietnam. The former is characterized by having a leprose thallus, creamish to whitish, entire, epruinose labia, a slit-like disc, a hyaline to brown, entire proper exciple, warty periphysoids, 8-spored asci, and 28–30-loculate, hyaline, I− ascospores, 70–120×7–14 µm in size. The latter has a greenish grey thallus, a poorly developed, hyaline to pale or brownish proper exciple, 1-spored asci, hyaline, muriform ascospores, and produces protocetraric acid. Acanthothecis corcovadensis, Diorygma erythrellum, D. junghuhnii, D. macgregorii, Platygramme platyloma, Pliariona montagnei and Thecaria quassiicola are recorded for the first time from the country.

The new species Coniarthonia aurata E. L. Lima, M. Cáceres & Aptroot, Cresponea endosulphurea A. A. Menezes, M. Cáceres & Aptroot, Cryptothecia macrocephala E. L. Lima, M. Cáceres & Aptroot, and Synarthonia sarcographoides Aptroot, A. A. Menezes, E. L. Lima & M. Cáceres are described from Caatinga vegetation in NE Brazil. They were found in the Chapada do Araripe in the state of Ceará and/or the Vale do Catimbau National Park in Pernambuco. Coniarthonia aurata has weakly organized, semiglobose apothecia with golden crystals, and on first impression looks like the anamorph of a Tylophoron. Cresponea endosulphurea has a pigment of the group of xantholepinones in the thallus. It is the first time that a substance from this group is reported from the Arthoniales. Cryptothecia macrocephala has strongly macrocephalic ascospores and contains psoromic acid in the thallus. Synarthonia sarcographoides is only the third species in this rarely found genus. It is characterized within the genus by muriform, brown ascospores, but it is assigned with hesitation to the genus. It is locally quite common.

Two new species, Malmidea pallidoatlantica and Malmidea sulphureosorediata, are described from NE Brazil. The first is close to M. atlantica but differs by the hyaline or pale hypothecium. The second species is a bright golden yellow sorediate crust which is assigned to the genus Malmidea because it contains the same anthraquinone pigment as M. atlantica and M. pallidoatlantica. The three species together could be referred to as the Malmidea atlantica group. Both new species were found in Mata Atlântica fragments. Malmidea sulphureosorediata was found in the Serra da Jibóia, a mountain range with a maximum elevation of 800 m, in a transitional area between the Atlantic forest and Caatinga vegetation in Bahia State. Malmidea pallidoatlantica was found in Mata do Crasto, one of the most important Atlantic forest remnants in Sergipe. It is a well-preserved Mata Atlântica relict of c. 700 hectares, at sea level.

The new lichenicolous Capronia paranectrioides Etayo, Flakus & Kukwa, inhabiting thalli of Erioderma leylandii, is described from Bolivia. The species is characterized by pale brown, submuriform and bicaudate ascospores, subglobose to barrel-shaped perithecia and I+ red, K/I+ pale blue hymenial gelatine. It is the first known Capronia species producing ascospores with long apical appendages.

The new lichen genus Sergipea M. Cáceres, Ertz & Aptroot is described in the Roccellaceae, based on the new species Sergipea aurata M. Cáceres, Ertz & Aptroot from NE Brazil. The species was found in a remnant of Atlantic transition forest in Sergipe. It is similar in many respects to species of the genus Enterographa, but it is characterized by bright orange stromata, due to the presence of an anthraquinone, and a thallus with a somewhat byssoid hypothallus. Phylogenetically it is close to the genera Dichosporidium and Erythrodecton. The phylogenetic position of the generic type of Dichosporidium confirms the close relationship of the genus to Erythrodecton in the basal branch of the Roccellaceae. A new species of Enterographa is also described from NE Brazil. Enterographa rotundata E. L. Lima, M. Cáceres & Aptroot has solitary, round apothecia, which is unusual in this genus with mainly elongated apothecia or punctiform apothecia arranged in lines. It was found in Caatinga forest in Pernambuco.

As part of a phylogenetic and taxonomic revision of the lichenized genus Sticta in Colombia, six new species with apotheciate thalli but lacking vegetative propagules are described: Sticta atroandensis Moncada & Lücking sp. nov., S. brevior Moncada & Lücking sp. nov., S. lumbschiana Moncada & Lücking sp. nov., S. macrocyphellata Moncada & Coca sp. nov., S. parahumboldtii Moncada & Lücking sp. nov., and S. pseudohumboldtii Moncada & Lücking sp. nov. The last two are related to S. humboldtii but phylogenetically distinct and differ in details of cyphellae morphology and spot reactions. Sticta atroandensis is similar to S. andensis but has a dark lower tomentum, whereas S. brevior belongs in the S. kunthii group, being characterized by mainly laminal apothecia with tomentose margins and a rather stout thallus. Both S. lumbschiana and S. macrocyphellata form part of the S. dilatata group and can be characterized by their lobe surface structure and cyphellae anatomy. Keys to species of the S. dilatata and S. humboldtii groups are presented.

Two new species of the small genus Crypthonia are described from the Chapada do Araripe, an isolated table mountain in the state of Ceará, in NE Brazil. Both share the thallus and ascoma organization with the other known species of the genus, and are mainly characterized by differences in ascospores and chemistry. Crypthonia lichexanthonica A. A. Menezes, M. Cáceres & Aptroot has 7-septate ascospores and contains lichexanthone in the thallus, and C. submuriformis A. A. Menezes, M. Cáceres & Aptroot has (sub)muriform ascospores and also contains lichexanthone, but only in the ascigerous areas. A key to all known species of the genus Crypthonia is provided, in which Crypthonia olivacea Frisch & G. Thor is newly reported from Argentina. The new species Syncesia byssolomoides A. A. Menezes, M. Cáceres & Aptroot is described from the same area. It also has a thin byssoid thallus, but differs by the narrowly fusiform ascospores and by containing psoromic acid. It differs from all Syncesia species by the absence of carbonization and the presence of psoromic acid. The epiphytic lichen flora in this Caatinga forest area is dominated by crustose lichens, with Graphis and Polymeridium as the most speciose genera.

Zeorin-containing red-fruited Cladonia species, the so-called C. coccifera group, are widespread terrestrial lichens which share most of their secondary substances but differ morphologically. The main objective of this study was to explore whether the current delimitation of these species is supported by molecular data. A total of 52 European and North American specimens of C. coccifera, C. deformis, C. diversa, and C. pleurota were examined. The internal transcribed spacer regions of the nuclear ribosomal DNA and the β-tubulin gene loci were sequenced for phylogenetic analyses. Traditional morphological species circumscriptions in zeorin-containing members of the C. coccifera group are not supported by molecular data. Cladonia coccifera, C. deformis, and C. pleurota were recovered as polyphyletic in both gene topologies; C. diversa formed a lineage in the ITS phylogeny but this was not statistically supported. We detected chemical patterns of the presence/absence of porphyrilic and/or isousnic acid which may help to characterize two lineages. Our results also show incongruence between the two molecular markers studied. Therefore, we focused on possible explanations of this phenomenon. Five major evolutionary mechanisms can potentially result in phylogenetic discordance between genes: presence of pseudogenes, horizontal gene transfer, gene paralogy, incomplete lineage sorting, and hybridization. These mechanisms are briefly discussed. We consider incomplete lineage sorting and/or hybridization to best explain the incongruence.

The activity concentration of 131I, 134Cs and 137Cs radionuclides in lichens was traced one and a half months after the Fukushima nuclear accident. The samples were collected in Tsukuba City, which is located c. 170 km south of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant (NPP). The activity concentrations differed depending on species and habitat. For example, the maximum activity concentration of 137Cs was 22596 Bq kg–1 dry weight in Physcia orientalis (collected from the trunk of Zelkova serrata on 30 June 2011), and 1928 Bq kg–1 in Hyperphyscia crocata (from the trunk of Quercus myrsinaefolia collected on 8 March 2012). The activity concentration of 137Cs in Dirinaria applanata and Phaeophyscia spinellosa growing on vertical habitats decreased by c. 50% within a year, indicating radionuclides might have been washed off by rain. The radionuclides were apparently derived from the Fukushima NPP accident because: 1) one specimen collected at the same place one year before the accident did not contain radionuclides, 2) high activity concentrations of radionuclides were detected after the accident, 3) 131I, which has a short half-life of 8 days, was detected one and a half months after the accident, and 4) the ratio of 134Cs/137Cs in lichens was 0·90–0·98 on 26 April 2011, which is consistent with the values reported for radiocesium from the Fukushima NPP accident.