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During a survey of saprophytic microfungi on decomposing woody, herbaceous debris and soil from different regions in Southern Europe, a wide range of interesting species of asexual ascomycetes were found. Phylogenetic analyses based on partial gene sequences of SSU, LSU and ITS proved that most of these fungi were related to <i>Sordariomycetes</i> and <i>Dothideomycetes</i> and to lesser extent to <i>Leotiomycetes</i> and <i>Eurotiomycetes</i>. Four new monotypic orders with their respective families are proposed here, i.e. <i>Lauriomycetales, Lauriomycetaceae; Parasympodiellales, Parasympodiellaceae; Vermiculariopsiellales, Vermiculariopsiellaceae</i> and <i>Xenospadicoidales, Xenospadicoidaceae</i>. One new order and three families are introduced here to accommodate orphan taxa, viz. <i>Kirschsteiniotheliales, Castanediellaceae, Leptodontidiaceae</i> and <i>Pleomonodictydaceae</i>. Furthermore, <i>Bloxamiaceae</i> is validated. Based on morphology and phylogenetic affinities <i>Diplococcium singulare, Trichocladium opacum</i> and <i>Spadicoides atra</i> are moved to the new genera <i>Paradiplococcium, Pleotrichocladium</i> and <i>Xenospadicoides</i>, respectively. <i>Helicoon fuscosporum</i> is accommodated in the genus <i>Magnohelicospora</i>. Other novel genera include <i>Neoascotaiwania</i> with the type species <i>N. terrestris</i> sp. nov., and <i>N. limnetica</i> comb. nov. previously accommodated in <i>Ascotaiwania; Pleomonodictys</i> with <i>P. descalsii</i> sp. nov. as type species, and <i>P. capensis</i> comb. nov. previously accommodated in <i>Monodictys</i>; <i>Anapleurothecium</i> typified by <i>A. botulisporum</i> sp. nov., a fungus morphologically similar to <i>Pleurothecium</i> but phylogenetically distant; <i>Fuscosclera</i> typified by <i>F. lignicola</i> sp. nov., a meristematic fungus related to <i>Leotiomycetes; Pseudodiplococcium</i> typified by <i>P. ibericum</i> sp. nov. to accommodate an isolate previously identified as <i>Diplococcium pulneyense; Xyladictyochaeta</i> typified with <i>X. lusitanica</i> sp. nov., a foliicolous fungus related to <i>Xylariales</i> and similar to <i>Dictyochaeta</i>, but distinguished by polyphialidic conidiogenous cells produced on setiform conidiophores. Other novel species proposed are <i>Brachysporiella navarrica, Catenulostroma lignicola, Cirrenalia iberica, Conioscypha pleiomorpha, Leptodontidium aureum, Pirozynskiella laurisilvatica, Parasympodiella lauri</i> and <i>Zanclospora iberica</i>. To fix the application of some fungal names, lectotypes and/or epitypes are designated for <i>Magnohelicospora iberica, Sporidesmium trigonellum, Sporidesmium opacum, Sporidesmium asperum, Camposporium aquaticum</i> and <i>Psilonia atra</i>.