NEW HONG KONG LICHENS, ASCOMYCETES AND LICHENICOLOUS FUNGI

Abstract

  Numerous collections representing 183 species of lichens, ascomycetes and lichenicolous fungi are reported from gatherings made in Hong Kong in July 2000, mainly on Lantau Island. These include 9 species which are described here as new to science: the lichenized ascomycetes Anisomeridium tetrasporum, Biatorella saxicola, Ocellularia palaeoamplior, Ramalina seawardii, Ramalina throwerae, the non-lichenized corticolous ascomycete Granulopyrenis seawardii, the lichenicolous ascomycete Obryzum striguloides, and the lichenized hyphomycete Milospium planorbis, one of the very few lichenized hyphomycetes known. It is argued that Reichlingia leopoldii similarly represents a lichenized hyphomycete rather than a lichenicolous fungus on an unknown host. The genus Campsosporiella is synonymized with Anisomeridium and the species Campsosporiella deightonii with Anisomeridium throwerae. In addition, 42 species are newly recorded for Hong Kong, of which 38 are also new to China, 7 new to Asia and 4 new to the Northern Hemisphere.