In order to establish baseline environmental conditions at the Utsteinen Nunatak (Sor Rondane Mountains, Antarctica) chosen for the installation of the new Belgian Antarctic research station, a detailed survey of the different lichen species was performed in 2007. The establishment of permanent plots will allow the accurate monitoring of possible future impacts of human activities on the biodiversity and, on a long-term scale, to detect future climate changes. A complete survey of the lichen species was made for each of the 23 permanent plots of the Utsteinen Ridge. The abundance of each species within each plot was also evaluated. Exhaustive lists of lichens were also completed for other parts of the Utsteinen Nunatak. Additionally, historic collections from the same area were revised. A total of twenty-three lichen species and two lichenicolous fungi was detected in the recent samples whereas the historic material yielded three additional species. These results raise the total number of known taxa for the Sor Rondane Mountains from ten to 28, despite the small area investigated. Trapelia antarctica is described as new to science. Buellia bastini is synonymized with Buellia nelsonii and Lecidea autenboeri is synonymized with Carbonea vorticosa. The lichen flora of Utsteinen is made of a high percentage (48%) of Antarctic endemics. Lichens were abundantly present on the Utsteinen Ridge. The numbers of species per plot varied from one to 18 with an average of ten. The detailed grid map for the Utsteinen Ridge will be useful in monitoring future changes in lichen population and diversity. Five plots presented the richest lichen flora and need therefore careful protection against any future human activities.

The number of undescribed species of lichenized fungi has been estimated at roughly 10,000. Describing and cataloging these would take the existing number of taxonomists several decades; however, the support for taxonomy is in decline worldwide. In this paper we emphasize the dire need for taxonomic expertise in lichenology. We bring together 103 colleagues from institutions worldwide to describe a total of 100 new species of lichenized fungi, representing a wide taxonomic and geographic range. The newly described species are: Acarospora flavisparsa, A. janae, Aderkomyces thailandicus, Amandinea maritima, Ampliotrema cocosense, Anomomorpha lecanorina, A. tuberculata, Aspicilia mansourii, Bacidina sorediata, Badimia multiseptata, B. vezdana, Biatora epirotica, Buellia sulphurica, Bunodophoron pinnatum, Byssoloma spinulosum, Calopadia cinereopruinosa, C. editae, Caloplaca brownlieae, C. decipioides, C. digitaurea, C. magnussoniana, C. mereschkowskiana, C. yorkensis, Calvitimela uniseptata, Chapsa microspora, C. psoromica, C. rubropulveracea, C. thallotrema, Chiodecton pustuliferum, Cladonia mongkolsukii, Clypeopyrenis porinoides, Coccocarpia delicatula, Coenogonium flammeum, Cresponea ancistrosporelloides, Crocynia microphyllina, Dictyonema hernandezii, D. hirsutum, Diorygma microsporum, D. sticticum, Echinoplaca pernambucensis, E. schizidiifera, Eremithallus marusae, Everniastrum constictovexans, Fellhanera borbonica, Fibrillithecis sprucei, Fissurina astroisidiata, F. nigrolabiata, F. subcomparimuralis, Graphis caribica, G. cerradensis, G. itatiaiensis, G. marusa, Gyalideopsis chicaque, Gyrotrema papillatum, Harpidium gavilaniae, Hypogymnia amplexa, Hypotrachyna guatemalensis, H. indica, H. lueckingii, H. paracitrella, H. paraphyscioides, H. parasinuosa, Icmadophila eucalypti, Krogia microphylla, Lecanora mugambii, L. printzenii, L. xanthoplumosella, Lecidea lygommella, Lecidella greenii, Lempholemma corticola, Lepraria sekikaica, Lobariella sipmanii, Megalospora austropacifica, M. galapagoensis, Menegazzia endocrocea, Myriotrema endoflavescens, Ocellularia albobullata, O. vizcayensis, Ochrolechia insularis, Opegrapha viridipruinosa, Pannaria phyllidiata, Parmelia asiatica, Pertusaria conspersa, Phlyctis psoromica, Placopsis imshaugii, Platismatia wheeleri, Porina huainamdungensis, Ramalina hyrcana, R. stoffersii, Relicina colombiana, Rhizocarpon diploschistidina, Sticta venosa, Sagenidiopsis isidiata, Tapellaria albomarginata, Thelotrema fijiense, Tricharia nigriuncinata, Usnea galapagona, U. pallidocarpa, Verrucaria rhizicola, and Xanthomendoza rosmarieae. In addition, three new combinations are proposed: Fibrillithecis dehiscens, Lobariella botryoides, and Lobariella pallida.