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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: Hardwood - conifer swamps, mesic forests

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Description

Pale green, verruculose to granular thallus, with black, minutely fibrous prothallus; flat black biatorine apothecia with white rims becoming mounded & irregular, proliferating new disks from edges; MICROSCOPY: epihymenium blue, hymenium colorless, hypothecium colorless or flecked with pigment, radiating exciple 2-layered, the outer layer inspersed with fine crystals that glow in polarized light; spores hyaline, 1-septate, about 12.5 x 5 µm, 8/ascus; CHEMISTRY: thallus K+ yellow (atranorin), PD-/+ orange-red (with or without fumarprotocetraric acid); FIELD ID: combination of granular light-green thallus with white-rimmed black disks is striking, but careful observers will want to dissect to rule out rare lookalike

Similar Species

Catinaria brodoana can be mistaken for this species with its similar spores, but it has a dark brown hypothecium

Related Rare Species

None

Habitat

Lower Coastal Plain: small-stream swamp forests of Taxodium ascendens, Nyssa biflora, Pinus serotina, Acer rubrum & Magnolia virginiana, on Acer & Magnolia bark; upper Coastal Plain in Fall Line Sandhills: small-stream swamp forests of Nyssa biflora, Chamaecyparis thyoides, Acer rubrum & Magnolia virginiana, on Magnolia bark

Life History

Corticolous crustose lichenized fungus, photobiont a chlorococcoid green alga

Survey Recommendations

None

Range

Widely disjunct Coastal Plain populations

Threats

Unknown

Georgia Conservation Status

Generally rare, but can be locally uncommon; all known populations in Ga. are on protected lands

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.

Lendemer, J. C., R. C. Harris & A. M. Ruiz. 2016. A review of the lichens of the Dare Regional Biodiversity Hotspot in the Mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain of North Carolina, Eastern North America. Castanea 81: 1-77.

Authors of Account

Malcolm Hodges

Date Compiled or Updated

7 January 2024