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dot lichen
Scientific Name: Arthonia subminutula
Family: Arthoniaceae
Category: Lichen
Growth: Lichenous
Duration:
Other Names:
Dot Lichen: A Diverse Group of Lichens
The term "Dot Lichen" is a common name applied to lichens belonging to the genera Arthonia or Micarea. "Dotted lichens" may refer to lichens within the genus Bacidia.
Considerations for Pets
- Lichens can grow on rocks, trees, and various surfaces, including those accessible to pets.
Taxonomy and Nomenclature
- Kingdom: Fungi
- Family: Arthoniaceae (for Arthonia species, and some other dot lichens)
- Family: Icmadophilaceae (for Pink Dot Lichen - Dibaeis absoluta)
- Synonyms: The text mentions several species with alternative names, suggesting a complex and evolving taxonomic understanding. For example, City Dot Lichen is also known as Scoliciosporum chlorococcum, with the synonym Bacidia chlorococca.
- Rank: Genus
Distribution and Habitat
- Dot lichens have a wide distribution, including locations such as New Orleans, Mount Rainier National Park, and Florida (Bahia Honda Key).
- They can be found growing on various substrates, including rocks, tree bark (especially palm trees and birchbark), and other surfaces.
Morphological Characteristics
- Dot lichens are characterized by their small, dot-like appearance.
- Some species, like Mycobilimbia pilularis, have a grayish green thallus and yellowy brown apothecia.
- DIBAEIS ABSOLUTA (Pink Dot Lichen) has pink apothecia born on very short stalks (ca. 1 mm).
Specific Examples of Dot Lichens
- Arthonia arthonioides - Dot Lichen
- Arthonia asteriscus - Dot Lichen
- Arthonia exilis
- Arthonia dispersa (dispersed dot lichen)
- Arthonia tuckermaniana (Tuckerman's dot lichen)
- Arthonia glebosa - dot lichen
- Arthonia rubella
- Micarea erratica (Erratic Dot Lichen)
- Micarea globulosella (Globe Dot Lichen)
- Micarea nitschkeana (Nitschke's dot lichen)
- Japewia tornoensis (Hidden Dot Lichen)
- Protoblastenia rupestris (Orange Dot Lichen)
- Bacidia rubella (Frosty-rimmed Dot Lichen)
- Dibaeis absoluta (Pink Dot Lichen)
- Mycobilimbia pilularis ("Dot Lichen")
- Leptorhaphis epidermidis (Birchbark Dot Lichen)
- Leptorhaphis atomaria (Birchbark Dot Lichen)
- Scoliciosporum chlorococcum (City Dot Lichen)
Quirky Facts
- Someone wrote "I'm lichen it!" about an article about eating oak moss in the Times.
Further Information
- Encyclopedia of Life
- Catalogue of Life
- USDA Plant Database
- Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Department of Botany
- ResearchGate