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Spilonema revertens Nyl.
Rock Hairball
Federal Protection: No US federal protection
State Protection: No Georgia state protection
Global Rank: G4G5
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:
Element Occurrences (EOs) in Georgia: 0
Habitat Summary for element in Georgia: Rock outcrops, rocky woodlands
Black, micro-fruticose thallus appearing as a minute, tangled fuzz growing directly on rock; lichen follows form of photobiont, over which fungal filaments grow; apothecia uncommon, often buried in thallus; microscopy: examination of thallus base in wet mount will show blue attachment hyphae of fungus
None
None
Rock outcrops, rocky woodlands, on silicious rocks, including granite, gneiss, soapstone, dunite, indurated kaolinite & sandstone
Saxicolous fruticose lichenized fungus, photobiont a cyanobacterium in Stigonema or Hyphomorpha; in Coastal Plain, almost invariably associated with Psorula rufonigrens squamules, a parasitic lichen (visible as green squamules in photo above)
None
Coastal Plain, Piedmont (less common)
Unknown
Common to abundant on some rock outcrops, especially Altamaha formation sandstone
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.
Nash III, T. H., B. D. Ryan, C. Gries & F. Gungartz (eds.). 2002. Lichen flora of the greater Sonoran Desert region. Vol. I. Lichens Unlimited, Arizona State University, Tempe.
Malcolm Hodges
30 July 2022