Phylogenetic studies revealed a high level of diversity within the lichen-forming fungus so far identified with the name Maronina multifera (Protoparmelioideae, Parmeliaceae), currently accommodated in the genus Neoprotoparmelia. Here, six new species of Neoprotoparmelia are described as new to science based on morphological and molecular data, mostly from northeastern Brazil. The new species are: Neoprotoparmelia nigra (Brazil), with 32-spored asci, lacking alectoronic acid, and with pale, K-negative apothecial base, and blackish apothecial disc; N. paramultifera (Brazil), with 64-spored asci, alectoronic acid, pale, K-negative apothecial base, and purplish brown apothecial disc and thick apothecial margins; N. pseudomultifera (Brazil), with 32-spored asci, lacking alectoronic acid, and with pale, K-negative apothecial base and brown apothecial disc (no reddish or purplish tinge); N. purpurea (Brazil), with 32-spored asci, lacking alectoronic acid, and with pigmented, K+ purplish-violet apothecial base and purplish brown apothecial disc; N. rubrofusca (Colombia), with 32-spored asci, lacking alectoronic acid, and with pigmented, K+ purplish-violet apothecial base, and red-brown apothecial disc and thin, evanescent margins; and N. sexdecimspora (Brazil), with 16-spored asci, alectoronic acid, pale, K-negative apothecial base, and purplish brown apothecial disc. The name N. multifera is restricted to a species from the northern Andes with 64-spored asci, alectoronic acid, pale, K-negative apothecial base, and purplish brown apothecial disc with thin margins, while the new combination N. camptotheca is adopted for a species in eastern Brazil with 32-spored asci, alectoronic acid, pale, K-negative apothecial base, purplish brown apothecial disc, and smooth margin (all other species in the complex having crenulate margins). The following two new combinations are also proposed: Neoprotoparmelia saxicola and N. rogersii (syn.: N. capensis V.J.Rico, A.Crespo & Garima Singh).

Molecular phylogenetic analyses revealed a high diversity of unrecognized species of Lecanora s.l. in Brazil, with many near-cryptic species that require a combined analysis of morphology, secondary metabolites and molecular sequences for accurate delimitation. In this study, a new species of Lecanora is described which is morphologically close to L. achroa and L. helva. The new species was collected in the Guadalupe environmental protection area, located in the municipality of Barra de Sirinhaém, a mangrove region in the state of Pernambuco in the Brazilian Northeast. Lecanora parachroa sp. nov. agrees with L. achroa in morphological and anatomical features but differs in secondary chemistry, lacking usnic acid and 2′-O-methylperlatolic acid. Molecular data using the ITS barcoding marker suggest that commonly identified species in this group, including L. helva and L. leprosa, are collective taxa, each including several lineages.

Taxiphyllum arcuatum (Bosch & Sande Lac.) S.He is transferred to Isodrepanium based on morphological and molecular data. The systematic position of Isodrepanium is discussed in the present paper. Isodrepanium may not be placed into Neckeraceae; however, its exact systematic position has not been resolved and requires further study.

Three species of Pottiaceae (Bryophyta) of limited distribution worldwide are reported for hyperoceanic northwestern North America. The Asian Pseudosymblepharis angustata is a genus and species new to North America from Alaska. Oxystegus daldinianus, previously known from Europe and the Southern Appalachians in the U.S.A., is reported as new to Canada from British Columbia. A new species is described in Oxystegus from British Columbia. These genera continue to be recognized here instead of the broad molecular systematics concept of Chionoloma in part because of lack of resolution of molecular cladograms reported by a recent study on molecular races in the Pottiaceae.

When doing inventory for cryptic and rare species, it can be difficult to determine with great confidence that a sampled area has no occurrences of the target species. Boreal Felt lichen (Erioderma pedicellatum (Hue.) P.M.Jørg.) and Vole Ears lichen (Erioderma mollissimum (G.Sampaio) Du Rietz) are two rare species of cyanolichens that have several populations in North America, including Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Alaska. These lichens occur in small numbers and are difficult to spot with the untrained eye; therefore, they are likely to be overlooked in standard sampling protocols. In this paper, we develop and test a sampling method that enables us to determine with confidence that a sample site has zero occurrences of the species of interest within a defined area (i.e., an absence of detections indicates an absence of the target lichen species and is not a false absence). On 50 sites, we randomly assigned “decoy lichen” treatments (small pieces of felt that resemble boreal felt lichen) and three seekers with different survey experience and time limits carried out their respective searches for these decoys. This sampling method is very applicable to sessile, rare organisms, such as lichens and mosses. Using circular sample plots of 5m in radius, we determined that 20 minutes is the required search effort to detect at least one rare and cryptic lichen individuals within the plot. We also found that decoy density on a plot had a strong influence on decoy detectability, regardless of seeker experience. Detection reliability was greater for the two seekers with prior cryptic survey experience compared to the seeker with none. High confidence in the “true absence” rate is useful for comparative studies of optimal and non-optimal habitat, and the methods here are useful to estimate detection rates for other cryptic organisms.

Sphaerocarpales, one of 15 orders in liverworts (Marchantiophyta), is of evolutionary and phylogenetic importance, but has not been recorded in China. Recent expeditions to Hengduan Mountains in China found an interesting liverwort with flask-shaped involucres clearly belonging to Sphaerocarpos, the second largest genus of Sphaerocarpales with nine species. The SEM observations and phylogenetic analyses based on DNA sequences of nuclear ribosomal 26S and two plastid regions (rbcL and psbA-trnH) indicate that the Chinese plant represents a new species described as S. siguniangensis. Our results also reveal that S. texanus known from Africa, America, Europe and Oceania is not monophyletic, suggesting that broader sampling and further analyses of its related species are needed to arrive at a proper understanding of this interesting genus. A new subgenus known only from the U.S.A., Sphaerocarpos subg. Criscarpos, is proposed.

To further reveal the structural characteristics of moss mitochondrial genomes from the still unexplored orders, we sequenced and assembled the mitogenome from the granite moss Andreaea wangiana (Andreaeaceae, Andreaeales). The newly generated genome consisted of 117,857 base pairs with an average GC content of 42%. The gene contents and gene order were found to be identical to those previously published from mosses, reconfirming the hypothesis of structural conservatism in this lineage. Comparison of the newly generated mitogenome with those published suggested an evolutionary trend towards size reduction of mitogenomes across the tree of mosses. The pattern was largely caused by hierarchical loss of introns and/or shortening of intergenic spacers. We found evidence to support a positive correlation between GC content and genome size in bryophytes. Furthermore, we identified 233 putative RNA editing sites for all protein-coding genes and 60 simple sequence repeats in this mitogenome. By reporting the complete mitogenome from an important early diverging lineage of mosses, this study provided valuable data for further studies to explore the mechanisms maintaining the stability of genome structure during nearly 400 Ma of independent adaptation to changing terrestrial environments. The study further identified a few highly variable regions that could be used as DNA markers to clarify the genetic diversity of granite moss populations.