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Lepraria oxybapha Lendemer
Elf-ear Dust
Federal Protection: No US federal protection
State Protection: No Georgia state protection
Global Rank: G4
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: Rock outcrops, mesic forests
Pale green to white placodioid leprose thallus, 2-layered, turned up at “lobe” edges to form a shallow rim; rhizohyphae brown; CHEMISTRY: thallus K+ yellow KC-, C-, PD+ orange-red, UV- (atranorin, fumarprotocetraric acid); FIELD ID not possible; requires thin-layer chromatography
Identical in appearance & spot tests to widespread Lepraria normandinoides, which has protocetraric acid; thin-layer chromatography (TLC) required for identification
None
Rock outcrops, mesic forests, on silicious rock, Quercus bark
Saxicolous/corticolous leprose lichenized fungus, photobiont a chlorococcoid green alga
None
Southern Blue Ridge
Unknown
Rare? Perhaps more common & widespread than records indicate, but overlooked; some records of Lepraria normandinoides not yet tested with TLC may be this species
None
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.
Lendemer, J. C. 2013. A monograph of the crustose members of the genus Lepraria Ach. s. str. (Stereocaulaceae, Lichenized Ascomycetes) in North America north of Mexico. Opuscula Philolichenum 11: 27-141.
Malcolm Hodges
21 April 2022