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Tricharia santessonii D. Hawksw.
Santesson's Leaf-whiskers

Photo © Malcolm Hodges, from a specimen collected in Towns Co., 22 November 2019
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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: Montane mesic hardwood ? heath forest


Description

Minute green thallus, patches from about 0.5 mm in diameter sometimes merging into larger thalli several mm across; erect black setae abundant, without hyphophores broadened into blades near the top; apothecia not seen; FIELD ID possible, but best examined under dissecting scope to see minute structures

Similar Species

None

Related Rare Species

None

Habitat

Montane mesic hardwood – heath forest, on Rhododendron leaves, especially near streams

Life History

Foliicolous crustose lichenized fungus, photobiont a unicellular green alga (Heveochlorella?)

Survey Recommendations

None

Range

Southern Blue Ridge

Threats

Unknown

Georgia Conservation Status

Rare; probably overlooked or under-sampled due to inaccessibility of habitat

Conservation Management Recommendations

None

References

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.

Lücking, R., W. R. Buck & E. Rivas Plata. 2007. The lichen family Gomphillaceae (Ostropales) in eastern North America, with notes on hyphophore development in Gomphillus and Gyalideopsis. Bryologist 110: 622-672.

Sanders, W. B., S. Pérez-Ortega, M. P. Nelsen, R. Lücking & A. de los Ríos. 2016. Heveochlorella (Trebouxiophyceae): a little-known genus of unicellular green algae outside the Trebouxiales emerges unexpectedly as a major clade of lichen photobionts in foliicolous communities. Journal of Phycology 52: 840-853.

Authors of Account

Malcolm Hodges

Date Compiled or Updated

1 August 2022