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dot lichen

Scientific Name: Micarea chlorostictica

Family: Micareaceae

Category: Lichen

Growth: Lichenous

Duration:

Other Names:

       

Dot Lichen: A World of Tiny Wonders

The term "Dot Lichen" refers to various lichens belonging to the genera Arthonia or Micarea. "Dotted lichens" may also refer to lichens in the genus Bacidia.

Considerations for Pets

  • Some dot lichens grow on trees.
  • Some dot lichens grow on rocks.

Taxonomy and Nomenclature

  • Common Name: Dot Lichen
  • Genera: Arthonia, Micarea, Bacidia (sometimes referred to as "dotted lichens")
  • Family: Arthoniaceae (for some species)
  • Synonyms: Bacidia chlorococca (synonym for Scoliciosporum chlorococcum - City Dot Lichen)

Distribution and Habitat

  • Dot lichens have a broad distribution, found in:
    • Arctic Eurasia
    • Europe
    • Americas (including North America and Mexico)
    • Oceania (Australasia)
  • Specific locations mentioned include New Orleans, Bahia Honda Key (Florida, USA), and Mt. Rainier National Park.

Morphological Characteristics and Growth Habits

  • Dot lichens are lichenous, meaning they are a symbiotic association of a fungus and an alga or cyanobacterium.
  • They often appear as small dots on surfaces such as rocks and tree bark.
  • Some species, like Mycobilimbia pilularis, have a grayish-green thallus (body) and yellowy-brown apothecia (fruiting bodies).
  • Pink Dot Lichen (Dibaeis absoluta) has pink apothecia born on short stalks.
  • Speckled Shield Lichens, Punctelia bolliana, have tiny white dots and lobules.

Quirky Facts

  • Some dot lichens are described with colorful names, such as "Blazing Firedot Lichen," "Frosty-rimmed Dot Lichen," "Northern Crimson Dot Lichen," and "Granite Firedot Lichen".
  • One source humorously notes "I'm lichen it!" in a headline about eating oak moss.

Related Lichens

  • Birchbark Dot Lichen: Leptorhaphis atomaria
  • City Dot Lichen: Scoliciosporum chlorococcum
  • Dispersed Dot Lichen: Arthonia dispersa
  • Golden Dot-Lichen: Arthrorhaphis citrinella
  • Hidden Dot Lichen: Japewia tornoensis
  • Nitschke’s Dot Lichen: Micarea nitschkeana
  • Tuckerman’s Dot Lichen: Arthonia tuckermaniana

Further Information

  • iNaturalist.org
  • Catalogue of Life: 2012 Annual Checklist
  • LIASlight database
  • ResearchGate (for Conservation Assessment of Pink Dot Lichen)
  • Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Department of Botany
  • Herbarium Dr. Felix Schumm
  • WikiSpecies
  • Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL)
  • Tree of Life (ToL)