Holarctic and Caribbean crustose lichens collected by López Figueras in Venezuela

Abstract

A set of unidentified crustose, mostly saxicolous, lichens collected by López Figueras in 1975-1980 in Venezuela was identified. Lambiella isidiata is newly described. Almost 80 species could be recognized with some certainty, most of which are new records for Venezuela, 18 of which seem to represent first records for South America. These include Holarctic species like Bryolimbia berengeriana, Clauzadeana macula, Immersaria athroocarpa, Koerberiella wimmeriana, Lecania turicensis, Miriquidica deusta, Rimularia gyrizans and Toninia candida, which were found on either siliceous rock or limestone in the Venezuelean Andes. Also some Caribbean species such as Buellia posthabita and Strigula wilsonii are new to South America; they were mostly found on limestone, together with Holarctic species like Caloplaca polycarpa and Diplotomma hedinii. Some Lecanora species, described from S. Brazil, are new to the N. hemisphere.