Ferrantia, Volume 40: Les Macrolichens de Belgique, du Luxembourg et du Nord de la France: Clés de Détermination [The Macro Lichens of Belgium, Luxembourg and the North of France: Identification Keys]

Les Macrolichens de Belgique, du Luxembourg et du Nord de la France is the logical continuation of the annotated Checklist of lichens and lichenicolous fungi of Belgium and Luxembourg (Diederich & Sérusiaux 2000). lndeed it offers identification keys for the species most easy to observe (macrolichens) and thus the most useful in environment management (e. g., monitoring of air quality) and conservation biology (e. g., management of forests, heathlands and grasslands). It also represents an updating of the identification keys published thirty five years ago (Lambinon 1969). 327 species are included, and 125 are illustrated with colour photographs. The area of study covers Belgium, Luxembourg and northern France, especially the coastal zone north of the river Somme. The keys are, except for unavoidable cases, built with macroscopical characters, easy to observe under the binocular microscope. Besides identification keys, the data provided for each species include the most useful synonymy, its ecology and distribution within the study area and, when the relevant data could be validated, the evolution of its status and a distribution map (241 maps are presented).