A taxonomic study of Nemania Gray, Entoleuca Syd. and Euepixylon Füisting (= Nemania s.l.; Xylariaceae) was carried out for the Nordic countries: Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark. No species of Nemania have been found in the remaining Norden: Iceland and the Faeroes. Fourteen species of Nemania s. str. were found in the area: Nemania aenea, N. aureolutea comb. n., N. atropurpurea, N. carbonacea, N. chestersii, N. colliculosa comb. n., N. con.fluens, N. diffusa, N. effusa, N. prava n. sp., N. reticulata comb. n., N. serpens, and two unknown species (Nemania spp. A and B) not formally described because of scanty material. In addition the two split-outs fromNemania, Entoleuca mammata andEuepixylon udum, are treated. A dichotomous key has been prepared and the species are reviewed alphabetically with comments on taxonomy, ecology and chorology. All species have been drawn, photographed and mapped.
In addition to conventional taxonomic procedures, a selection of species from Nemania s.l., Biscogniauxia and Hypoxylon were subjected to an ITS nrDNA sequencing study. This study supported the delimitation of taxa as defined in this work, and confirms Nemani a as different from Hypoxylon and Biscogniauxia.
Four EuropeanNemania taxa are still unknown in Norden: Nemania gwyneddii (Whalley, R.L. Edwards & S.M. Francis) Pouzar, N. illita (Schwein.) Pouzar, Nemania serpens (Pers.: Fr.) Gray var. macrospora (J.H. Mill.) Pouzar. The fourth taxon, Hypoxylon terricola J.H. Mill. certainly also belongs to Nemania.
