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Background: Bioblitzes are a tool for the rapid appraisal of biodiversity and are particularly useful in remote and understudied regions and for understudied taxa. Lichens are an example of an often overlooked group, despite being widespread in virtually all terrestrial ecosystems and having many important ecological functions. New information: We report the lichens and allied fungi collected during the 2018 terrestrial bioblitz conducted on Calvert Island on the Central Coast of British Columbia, Canada. We identified 449 specimens belonging to 189 species in 85 genera, increasing the total number of species known from Calvert Island to 194, and generated Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) sequences for 215 specimens from 121 species. Bryoria furcellata, Chaenothecopsis lecanactidis and C. nigripunctata were collected for the first time in British Columbia. We also found Pseudocyphellaria rainierensis, which is listed as Special Concern on the federal Species at Risk Act, and other rarely reported species in British Columbia including Opegrapha sphaerophoricola, Protomicarea limosa, Raesaenenia huuskonenii and Sarea difformis. We demonstrate that DNA barcoding improves the scope and accuracy of expert-led bioblitzes by facilitating the detection of cryptic species and allowing for consistent identification of chemically and morphologically overlapping taxa. Despite the spatial and temporal limitations of our study, the results highlight the value of intact forest ecosystems on the Central Coast of British Columbia for lichen biodiversity, education and conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Xerotrema megalospora is reported as new for Canada from British Columbia and is only the third report for North America. The Canadian material is briefly described and illustrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Opegrapha halophila Brodo & Tønsberg is described based on material from British Columbia, Canada, and Alaska, U.S.A. It is distinctive due to its lirellate apothecia, the (mainly) discrete soralia, the production of roccellic/angardianic acid, and its habitat on coastal rocks in the salt spray zone. A key to sorediate species of Opegrapha is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A species of Lecanora in the L. dispersa group, with a well-developed pale thallus and a granular epihymenium, resembling L. albescens, is found exclusively on shoreline rocks and appears to be new. It is described as Lecanora schofieldii sp. nov., found mainly in the Pacific Northwest, but also rarely on the northeast coast. Its distinctions from similar species on shoreline rocks are given, together with a key for their identification. The first western record of L. xylophila from rocks is given. L'auteur rapporte une espèce de Lecanora du groupe L. dispersa montrant un thalle pâle bien développé, avec un épihyménium granulaire; on le retrouve exclusivement sur des rochers maritimes et ressemble au L. albescens, pouvant constituer une nouvelle espèce. L'auteur le décrit comme Lecanora schofieldii sp. nov., présent surtout dans le nord-ouest du Pacifique mais aussi, bien que plus rarement, sur la côte nord-est. Il présente les caractéristiques le distinguant d'espèces similaires des rochers maritimes ainsi qu'une clé pour leurs identifications. Il mentionne également pour la première fois dans l'ouest, le L. xylophila sur rochers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The occurrence of 43 marine lichen species on intertidal rocky shores of southern Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands), British Columbia is described and related particularly to elevation on the shore (duration of seawater immersion) and exposure to waves. In the area of Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site on Moresby Island, rock-dwelling marine lichens are distributed in zones much as they are elsewhere in the world, although some species found abundantly only in Haida Gwaii give the local shores a unique appearance. In common with other areas, there is a conspicuous black band of Verrucaria species (in this case, nine species plus other black lichens) at the upper edge of the intertidal zone. A conspicuous white band of Coccotrema maritimum above the black band is a unique feature of this flora. The unusually large percentage of endemic, near-endemic or disjunct lichen species and their phytogeography suggest that at least the headland rocks along the west coast were refugia during the last glacial maximum. Verrucaria striatula and V. sandstedei are reported for the first time from British Columbia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]