FOLIICOLOUS LICHENS FROM AUSTRALIA

Summary Few records of foliicolous lichens from Australia have been published. Records in the present paper are based primarily on collections from New South Wales and Queensland by the junior author. Anisomeridium foliicola R. Sant. & Tibell and Phyllobathelium nigrum R. Sant. & Tibell are described as new. The new combination Phylloporis obducta (Muell. Arg.) R. Sant. & Tibell is proposed. In all 66 species of foliicolous lichens are included, 28 of them being newly recorded from Australia. The genera Badimia , Calenia , Lasioloma , Loflammia, Microtheliopsis, Phyllobathelium and Raciborskiella are new to Australia. A few comments on the ecology and distribution of the species are also given. The obligately foliicolous lichens occur mainly in rainforests in tropical and subtropical areas, although a few species also extend into temperate areas. Many species are very widely distributed and in suitable habitats foliicolous lichens are very abundant. Numerous non-lichenized fungi and fungi occurring as parasites or parasymbionts on these lichens also add to the diversity of these societies. Santesson in 1952 revised the foliicolous lichens on a world-wide basis. During the last few decades a large number of new foliicolous species and genera have been described mainly by Vezda and Serusiaux. Among the many papers on foliicolous lichens that have appeared, however, only two have dealt with species from Australia (cf. below).