This volume includes all taxa belonging to the order Laboulbeniales (Ascomycota) from the Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands. The book describes 40 genera and 106 species (from Acompsomyces through Ilyomyces).

Este volumen trata de todos aquellos táxones pertenecientes al orden Laboulbeniales (Ascomycota) que fructifican en la Península Ibérica e Islas Baleares (40 géneros y 106 especies entre Acompsomyces a Ilyomyces).

The Laboulbeniales are a highly specialized and extremely diversified order of Ascomycetes on which already Thaxter (1896-1931) devoted five volumes of a beautifully illustrated monograph. After a number of further revisions by several authors, Santamaria has produced a local flora in 1989 and many distributed papers in the last 15 years. He is producing a 3-volumes monograph in the Flora Mycologica Iberica series, covering the Laboulbeniales of the Iberian peninsula. Volume 4 (part 1, 186 pp., 39 figs., 1998) had introduced the series, dealing only with the genus Laboulbenia. The remaining taxa are treated in alphabetical sequence and the present volume covers the genera Acampsomyces to Ilyomyces, part 3 will cover Misgomyces to Zodiomyces.

All texts are reproduced in Spanish and (good) English. The taxonomy has been checked by four leading experts of these fungi. The most modern insect taxonomy is followed with the support of numerous entomologists. The text is in the same arrangement as in vol. 4, without repetition of introductory chapters, but including a glossary of morphological terms with standard abbreviations as used in labelling the line drawings. The species are keyed out (also bilingually) for each genus. Mostly one plate (whole page or less) of beautiful line drawings is dedicated to each species. The book is concluded by references, indexes to host genera and species, and fungal names (according to epithet). A comprehensive key to the genera is expected in part 3.

Thus the Laboulbeniales are thoroughly explored in the Iberian peninsula, comparable to the situation in North America, France, Italy, Hungary, Belgium, Finland, Poland, Japan, and Korea, besides some other, less exhaustively inventoried countries. The taxonomic knowledge gained in this monograph will have its impact in a much broader area than the Iberian Peninsula.

W. GAMS, Utrecht

Nova Hedwigia vol. 79/3-4