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Federal Protection: No US federal protection

State Protection: No Georgia state protection

Global Rank: GNR

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: Mesic hardwood forests and swamps

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Description

Pale green to whitish cottony thallus with variable orange margins, some brightly colored & broad, & some pale and patchily pigmented; scurfy orange isidia also variably pigmented, concentrated at center of thallus; CHEMISTRY: thallus K-, PD+ yellow (psoromic acid), orange pigment K+ pink-purple (chiodectonic acid or unknown); FIELD ID: unmistakable

Similar Species

Dull examples of Herpothallon rubrocinctum are always pink & red where this species is orange; H. echinatum can have yellowish isidia (K+ yellow), but its margins are not pigmented

Related Rare Species

None

Habitat

Mesic hardwood forests & swamps; substrates: of 9 records, 5 were on Quercus, 1 on Acer, 1 on Carya, 1 on Nyssa, & 1 on Taxodium (where the species was abundant & dominant on Taxodium ascendens in a large isolated pond)

Life History

Corticolous crustose lichenized fungus, photobiont an alga in genus Trentepohlia

Survey Recommendations

None

Range

Coastal Plain

Threats

Unknown

Georgia Conservation Status

Only occasionally encountered (but abundant & dominant at a few sites)

Conservation Management Recommendations

None

References

Aptroot, A., G. Thor, R. Lücking, J. A. Elix & J. L. Chaves. 2009. The lichen genus Herpothallon reinstated. Bibliotheca Lichenologica 99: 19-66.

Brodo, I. M. 2001. Lichens of North America. 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.

Frisch, A., J. Rudolphi & G. Thor. 2014. Herpothallon inopinatum (Arthoniaceae), a new lichen species from Mexico. Ann. Bot. Fennici 51: 63–68.

Authors of Account

Malcolm Hodges

Date Compiled or Updated

10 March 2022