The Encyclopedia of Life (EOL) as a scientific resource and outreach medium applied to the lichen family Parmeliaceae (Ascomycota: Lecanorales).

A brief discussion of the Encyclopedia of Life and the LifeDesks websites as a means to assemble and publish species pages and taxonomic information on the internet, for both the scientific community and the public, is provided. The lichen family Parmeliaceae is the first large group of lichenized fungi for which a concerted effort is currently being undertaken to produce substantial content for the EOL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]