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Dot Lichen

The common name "Dot Lichen" refers to lichens within the genera Arthonia or Micarea. "Dotted lichens" may refer to lichens in the genus Bacidia.

Taxonomy and Nomenclature

• Kingdom: Fungi
• Phylum: Ascomycota
• Class: Lecanoromycetes
• Order: Lecanorales (for some species, e.g., Micarea erratica)
• Family: Arthoniaceae (for genera Arthonia) or Micareaceae (for some species, e.g., Micarea erratica), Icmadophilaceae (for Dibaeis absoluta)

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)
• Cherry-laurel dot lichen
• Dispersed dot lichen (Arthonia dispersa)
• Tuckerman's dot lichen (Arthonia tuckermaniana)
• Nitschke's dot lichen (Micarea nitschkeana)
• Globe Dot Lichen (Micarea globulosella)
• City Dot Lichen (Scoliciosporum chlorococcum, syn. Bacidia chlorococca)
• Erratic Dot Lichen (Micarea erratica)
• Six-celled moss-dot (Bilimbia sabuletorum)
• Granite firedot lichen (Caloplaca arenaria)
• Frosted-rimmed dot lichen (Caloplaca holocarpa)
• Firedot lichen (Cliostomum griffithii)
• Multicolored dot lichen
• Palm Tree Dot Lichen (Arthonia rubella)

Distribution and Habitat

• The text mentions the abundance of lichens in the New Orleans area.
• One example grows on rocks in Mount Rainier National Park.
• Another can be found on palm tree bark in Bahia Honda Key, Florida, USA.
• Some species may be found on stone walls, such as near Walden road.

Morphological Characteristics

• Mycobilimbia pilularis, a "Dot Lichen", is described as a crustose lichen with a grayish-green thallus without soredia or isidia, and yellowy-brown biatorine, convex apothecia.
• Dibaeis absoluta features pink apothecia born on short stalks (approximately 1 mm).
• Some grow in small dots.
• Some species may appear as small dots on rocks.
• Some species are described as "foliose lichens with a few tiny white dots."

Associations and Interactions

• The text mentions the "Speckled Shield Lichen" Punctelia bolliana, which is described as a grey foliose lichen with a few tiny white dots and lots of tiny lobules, but no isida or soredia.

Further Information

• Encyclopedia of Life
• Catalogue of Life
• USDA
• Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Department of Botany
• ResearchGate
• MO (likely Missouri Botanical Garden)
• ToL (Tree of Life Web Project)
• BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library)
• WikiSpecies