Herzogia 27 (1), 2014: 67– 82 67 Remarkable records of lichens and lichenicolous fungi from the Harz National Park (Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt, Germany) Paweł Czarnota, Hans-Ulrich Kison & André Seelemann Abstract: Czarnota, P., Kison, H.-U. & Seelemann, A. 2014. Remarkable records of lichens and lichenicolous fungi from the Harz National Park (Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt, Germany). – Herzogia 27: 67– 82. Some interesting results of lichenological surveys conducted mainly in 2012 in the Harz National Park, Germany are presented. Included are notes on distribution, ecology and taxonomy for 33 lichen-forming and seven lichenicolous taxa. Micarea nowakii is new to Germany. A total of 26 species are new to either Lower Saxony or Saxony-Anhalt; 25 species are new to the Harz National Park. Of all of the species reported, a total of 13 are listed as endangered in the recent German Red List of Lichens (categories GRL 1, 2 and 3). Zusammenfassung: Czarnota, P., Kison, H.-U. & Seelemann, A. 2014. Bemerkenswerte Flechten und flechten- bewohnende Pilze im Nationalpark Harz (Niedersachsen und Sachsen-Anhalt). – Herzogia 27: 67– 82. Eine Reihe interessanter Ergebnisse lichenologischer Untersuchungen im Gebiet des Nationalparks Harz in Deutschland, hauptsächlich aus dem Jahr 2012, wird mitgeteilt. Verbreitung, Ökologie und, wenn erforderlich, tax- onomische Anmerkungen zu einigen der 33 Flechten und 7 lichenicolen Taxa sind dargestellt. Micarea nowakii ist neu für Deutschland. Insgesamt 26 Arten sind neu für Niedersachsen oder Sachsen-Anhalt und 25 für den Nationalpark. Insgesamt 13 von den hier aufgelisteten Arten gelten nach der aktuellen Roten Liste für Deutschland als gefährdet (Kategorien GRL 1, 2 und 3). Key words: Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, biodiversity, dead wood, nature conservation, old-growth forest. Introduction The Harz region has been the object of lichenological interest for many centuries. The ear- liest accounts of the lichens of the Harz date back to Valerius Cordus (1515 –1544) and Johannes Thal (1542–1583). In the era of modern botanical nomenclature, Albrecht von Haller (1708 –1777), Friedrich Wilhelm Weis (1744 –1826) and Georg Heinrich Weber (1752–1828) made key contributions to the lichen flora of the Harz and provided type material for some of today’s widespread lichen species from this region. In the 20 th century, detailed floristic studies on the Harz were undertaken by numerous lichenologists, notably Hans Ullrich (1913 –2002). Most recently the lichen diversity of this region was studied by Scholz (1991) and Hauck (1996). Recent researchers mainly focused on some ecological factors, including develop- mental stages and forest continuity, air pollution, bark and stemflow chemistry, influencing epiphytic lichen diversity in long-term protected or managed spruce forests (e.g. Hauck & Runge 2002, Hauck et al. 2002, 2012, 2013, Dittrich et al. 2013). Today, the corticol- ous lichen biota of the dominating spruce stands in the Harz Mountains is considered to be rather species-poor due to the long-lasting influence of sulfur dioxide pollution (Hauck 2000).