SafePlants

Dot Lichen: A World of Tiny Wonders

The common name "Dot Lichen" refers to lichens belonging to either the genus Arthonia or the genus Micarea. "Dotted lichens" are lichens in the genus Bacidia.

Considerations for Pets

• Some dot lichens grow on tree bark.
• Some dot lichen grows on rocks.

Taxonomy and Nomenclature

• Family: Arthoniaceae (for Arthonia)
• Family: Icmadophilaceae (for Pink Dot Lichen - Dibaeis absoluta)

Distribution and Habitat

• Dot lichens can be found in various locations, including Mt. Rainier National Park, Florida (Bahia Honda Key - on palm tree bark), and the New Orleans area.

Morphological Characteristics

• Mycobilimbia pilularis, a type of Dot Lichen, is a crustose lichen with a grayish-green thallus and yellowy-brown apothecia. It lacks soredia and isidia.
• Pink Dot Lichen (Dibaeis absoluta) has pink apothecia born on short stalks (approximately 1 mm).
• Dot lichen grows in small dots on rocks.

Common Names and Examples

• Birchbark Dot Lichen (Leptorhaphis epidermidis, Leptorhaphis atomaria)
• Orange Dot Lichen (Protoblastenia rupestris)
• Hidden Dot Lichen (Japewia tornoensis)
• Pink Dot Lichen (DIBAEIS ABSOLUTA)
• Dispersed dot lichen (Arthonia dispersa)
• Tuckerman's dot lichen (Arthonia tuckermaniana)
• Nitschke's dot lichen (Micarea nitschkeana)
• Globe Dot Lichen (Micarea globulosella)
• Sulfur Firedot Lichen
• Granite firedot lichen (Caloplaca arenaria)
• Firedot lichen (Caloplaca holocarpa)
• City Dot Lichen (Scoliciosporum chlorococcumSynonyms: Bacidia chlorococca)
• Erratic Dot Lichen (Micarea erratica)
• Six-celled moss-dot (Bilimbia sabuletorum)

Further Information

• Encyclopedia of Life
• Catalogue of Life
• USDA plant database
• Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Department of Botany
• ResearchGate
• WikiSpecies