Bruce McCune

Haldeman and McCune (2026) describe a new monotypic family, genus, and species, Umbonidiscus rhizocarpoides, a brown rock crust from Pacific coastal states and provinces of North America. Previously thought to be a Rhizocarpon, but demonstrated to be distant from that. doi.org/10.1639/0007...

Evankow et al. (2025) confirm the earlier suggestions by Zhurbenko and Timdal that what we call Psora himalayana in North America represents P. elenkinii. This paper focuses on Europe but hints at the N Am situation. doi.org/10.1007/s115...

One of the most widespread and conspicuous rock crusts in continental climates of w N Am has been called Acarospora strigata; now it has a new (old) name, A. peltata; but wait... also look out for the similar A. lactea, A. coloradiana, A. nevadensis, and A. utahensis. doi.org/10.3897/myco...

Lichens in the middle of the unexplored Great Basin Desert of the American West. Jason Hollinger and colleagues with a great paper full of new taxonomic insights, detailed photos, and ecological understanding. doi.org/10.3398/064....

European Invades Local Outdoor Basketball Court, Dominates Baseline: Bacidina caligans New to North America. (lichenized fungi) doi.org/10.1639/0747...

A new species from a tropical lichen genus, Pyrenula cascadensis, in a wet temperate Pacific Northwest forest. Haldeman, Miranda & McCune doi.org/10.1639/0007...

The Red Spot Puzzle in Cladonia norvegica www.cambridge.org/core/journal... Rare lichen followers in the Pacific NW of North America: one rare lichen species has split into two. Although only 1 N Am specimen was sequenced, it appears we might have both species. Needs a close look here.

Foundational article on Micarea -- this global context should facilitate much-needed work on the North American species and those of other regions. Open access. Leena Myllys and 14 other authors. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

Another big form genus, Lecanora, bites the dust. Actually, it started a while ago. These changes will affect names for many species on all continents. Ivanovich-Hichins et al. in the latest Lichenologist. doi.org/10.1017/S002...

Lichen news -- lichens new -- from Colorado USA. Two new species of Caloplaca s.l. to science, Tassiloa friogranitica and Pyrenodesmia praemonatana, plus 32 species of lichens and allied fungi newly documented in Colorado. By Manzitto-Tripp, Watts & Raynor. Open access. doi.org/10.17348/jbr...

Big changes for a small genus of tiny cyanolichens, Arctomia. Ekman, Svensson & Westberg 2025. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

The lichen genus Protoblastenia mushrooms in Finland: "... based on morphology and molecular data (nuITS rDNA sequences). 20 species were recognised, with 16 species being newly described here..." Sure to be found in N Am and elsewhere... mycokeys.pensoft.net/article/162802 (Pykälä & Myllys 2025)

New key to N Am for former Sarcogyne. Unlike previous treatments, no Euro taxa of Acarospora or Sarcogyne with carbonized epihymenium were found in N Am, except A. lapponica... and the lichenicolous Sarcogyne pusilla. Knudsen et al. MycoKeys 122: 123–148 (2025), DOI: 10.3897/mycokeys.122.162675

The inimitable Jason Hollinger demonstrating how he trims rocks while preparing specimens of saxicolous crusts. I have tried his method with a battery powered mini angle grinder with thin diamond blade, clamping it to a stool, and it worked great. www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCcY...

Lichens! Rhizocarpaceae revised: Catolechia, Poeltinula, & Rhizocarpon refined, Epilichen to Catolechia, R. hochstetteri complex to Poeltinula, and Rehmia resurrected. Big changes affecting many areas in the world! Möller et al. 2025. Fungal Syst. and Evol. 16:215–231. doi: 10.3114/fuse.2025.16.12

A fun collaboration led by Alan Fryday, @ddiazescandon.bsky.social, Tracy Thai and several colleagues from the Grootbos Nature Reserve in South Africa, with a bonus revisit of the class Lichinomycetes plus a novel, very strange ITS insertion link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Common Lichens of Northern Alaska. This new short introduction to lichens produced by two scientists in the National Park Service helps open peoples' eyes to conspicuous species that they have never seen before! Very limited print run, but formatted pdfs are available: irma.nps.gov/DataStore/Re...

Pseudosolorina split from Solorina and Solorina crocoides split from S. crocea. The first part is easy because the species with orange below remain in Solorina. doi: 10.3390/jof11030169. Zheng et al. 2025. Journal of Fungi.

Looks like a great opportunity for a PhD lichenologist at the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden in California, USA: workforcenow.adp.com/mascsr/defau...

A big revision for the Lecanora saligna group -- six new species in Lecanoropsis. This is a common group of crustose lichens in western North America and elsewhere in the Northern Hemisphere.

eDNA and traditional biocrust sampling each have blind spots for biodiversity but tell a similar ecological story of disturbance in Artemisia steppe. The Bryologist, 128(1):1-15 (2025). doi.org/10.1639/0007...

The latest from Kerry Knudsen et al. on Acarosporaceae from California. "We report 127 described species of Acarosporaceae for North America. We verified 62 species of Acarosporaceae from California." DOI: 10.3897/mycokeys.112.138580

Vagrant Rhizoplaca get a deeper look. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Calicium poculatum and Ramboldia canadensis are described as new species occurring on Larix laricina. doi.org/10.1017/S002...

Cladonia galindezii and C. andereggii, epodetiate relatives of C. cariosa in western North America doi.org/10.1639/0007...

New species of Sticta from the American Southwest. Sticta puebloensis sp. nov. DiMeglio & Niedbala