THIS PAPER reports two cases of tinea nigra palmaris which were observed in the Washington, D.C, area. Including these two cases, the total number reported in the United States is now 11. In textbooks and the earlier literature this disease has been considered primarily of cosmetic importance. This lesion, however, appears to warrant greater emphasis because, of late, it has been mistaken a number of times for nevi. Slepyan and Geuting demonstrated that the rarity of tinea nigra palmaris in this country contributes to the erroneous diagnosis, and Smith and associates reported that even competent specialists have misdiagnosed the lesion. Five of the nine previously reported cases were found by Hitch not to have been recognized the first time seen. Indeed, one of the patients reported in the present paper was referred to us because of what was believed to be a rapidly enlarging nevus. Confusion of tinea nigra palmaris