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Federal Protection: No US federal protection

State Protection: No Georgia state protection

Global Rank: G5

State Rank: SNR

Element Locations Tracked in Biotics: No

SWAP 2015 Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN): No

SWAP 2025 Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN): No

2025 SGCN Priority Tier: None

Element Occurrences (EOs) in Georgia: 0

Habitat Summary for element in Georgia: Large outcroppings to shaded forest rocks

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Description

Pale to grayish thallus, smooth to rough, continuous to rimose, with black disks, often crowded, either rimless or with a thin black rim, thallus usually raised around disk, color of this thalline "rim" pale to intermediate between rest of thallus & disk; MICROSCOPY: asci with 8 large, colorless, simple, oval spores, often with a large oil droplet (the “yolk in the egg”); CHEMISTRY: thallus K+ red (norstictic acid); FIELD ID: with experience, possible, but K test & dissection needed to confirm

Similar Species

Aspicilia verrucigera & A. laevata are darker & have K+ yellow thalli; Circinaria species are K-

Related Rare Species

None

Habitat

Large outcroppings to shaded forest rocks, on silicious rock

Life History

Saxicolous crustose lichenized fungus, photobiont a green alga in genus Trebouxia

Survey Recommendations

None

Range

Southern Blue Ridge & Cumberland Plateau

Threats

Unknown

Georgia Conservation Status

Occasional

Conservation Management Recommendations

None

References

Brodo, I. M. 2001. Lichens of North America. Yale University Press, New Haven, Conn.

Brodo, I. M. 2016. Keys to lichens of North America: revised and expanded. Yale University Press, New Haven, Conn.

Esslinger, T. L. 2021. A cumulative checklist for the lichen-forming, lichenicolous and allied fungi of the continental United States and Canada. Version 24. Opuscula Philolichenum 20: 100-394.

Authors of Account

Malcolm Hodges

Date Compiled or Updated

5 March 2022