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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: Forests and woodlands

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Description

Pale green to whitish thallus with black disks; disks flat, rimmed black, the rim often thin & rising only slightly above the level of the disk (not consistent); MICROSCOPY: spores brown, 2-celled, consistently <15 µm long, with rounded tips (cells U-shaped), hymenium clear; CHEMISTRY: thallus K+ yellow turning red slowly (atranorin, norstictic acid) or K+ yellow (atranorin only); FIELD ID: the confusing array of black-dot lichens on bark require dissection to identify

Similar Species

Baculifera curtisii is closest, but has longer 2-celled spores with conical tips (cells often V-shaped or sides of cells concave), more norstictic acid (turning red rapidly with K), & consistently thick rims (though both species’ rims can be thick & prominent); other Buellia, Bactrospora or Cratiria species have different spores, disk morphology or chemistry

Related Rare Species

Buellia circumpallida

Habitat

Forests, woodlands; substrates: mostly hardwood bark (Quercus 34%; Acer rubrum 21%); 1 record on Pinus bark, 1 on limestone

Life History

Corticolous crustose lichenized fungus, photobiont a green unicellular alga in Trebouxia

Survey Recommendations

None

Range

Found throughout Ga.

Threats

Unknown

Georgia Conservation Status

Common to abundant

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.

Harris, R. C. & D. Ladd. 2005. Preliminary draft: Ozark lichens. Unpublished manuscript, New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, NY.

Authors of Account

Malcolm Hodges

Date Compiled or Updated

6 March 2022