This one year project will provide an overview of the sterile, crustose, saxicolous lichens in Norway, search for undescribed and cryptic species, attempt to place the species in the taxonomic hierarchy by using molecular methods, and provide a selection of the species with DNA barcodes for species identification by non-specialists.

The work will comprise 1) revision of critically identified collections in Norwegian university museums, 2) collecting new material (at least 500 specimens) from all parts of the country, 3) providing diagnostic characterizations and photographs of the species, 4) generate DNA barcodes for at least 200 species), 5) make the information available to the public through our project web page, and 6) arrange two workshops (field and lab).

The work will have a broad taxonomic scope, but the majority of the species are expected to belong in Lecanoromycetes. The material will be studied by microscopy, thin-layer chromatography and molecular methods. We expect to discover at least 10 new species to science.

The project builds on our two previous species projects on Norwegian lecideoid lichens.

Project leader: Tor Tønsberg, University Museum of Bergen, University of Bergen
Project period: January 2015 – December 2015
Collaborating partners: NTNU University Museum, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Nord-Trøndelag University College, Natural History Museum University of Oslo and BioFokus