ASPECTS OF THE INTEGRATION OF THE TAXONOMY OF LICHENIZED AND NON-LICHENIZED PYRENOCARPOUS ASCOMYCETES

The integration of the taxonomy of lichenized and non-lichenized pyren ocarpous ascomycetes is still in progress. Within this group, at least 12 lichenization events, three re-lichenizations and at least 24 de-l ichenization events, are supposed to have occurred during evolution. T his is evident from the increasing amount of information regarding phy logeny and classification of pyrenocarpous fungi. The total number of lichenization events, including re- and de-lichenization, within all f ungi is estimated to be at least 100. However, the vast majority of th e pyrenocarpous lichens are concentrated in a few relatively large, pr esumably monophyletic, groups. In some cases, proposed integrations ha ve proven to be untenable, for example Microtheliopsis and with the He rpotrichiellaceae, Flavobathelium With the Dimeriaceae and most notabl y the Normandina thallus with the basidiomycetes and its ascocarps wit h Sphaerulina in the Mycosphaerellaceae. The same is true for many cas es where lichenized taxa were unwittingly included in otherwise non-li chenized groups, such as Didymosphaeria and Massarina, or even describ ed in new, presumably non-lichenized, genera like Holstiella, Starbaec kiella and Titanella. (C) 1998 The British Lichen Society.