AbstractThe integration of the taxonomy of lichenized and non-lichenized pyrenocarpous ascomycetes is still in progress. Within this group, at least 12 lichenization events, three re-lichenizations and at least 24 de-lichenization events, are supposed to have occurred during evolution. This is evident from the increasing amount of information regarding phylogeny and classification of pyrenocarpous fungi. The total number of lichenization events, including re- and de-lichenization, within all fungi is estimated to be at least 100. However, the vast majority of the pyrenocarpous lichens are concentrated in a few relatively large, presumably monophyletic, groups. In some cases, proposed integrations have proven to be untenable, for example Microtheliopsis and with the Herpotrichiellaceae, Flavobathelium with the Dimeriaceae and most notably the Normandina thallus with the basidiomycetes and its ascocarps with Sphaendina in the Mycosphaerellaceae. The same true for many cases where lichenized taxa were unwittingly included in otherwise non-lichenized groups, such as Didymosphaeria and Massarina, or even described new, presumably non-lichenized, genera like Holstiella, Starbaeckiella and Titanella.
