Scaly Pelt Lichen
(Peltigera lepidophora)
Conservation • Description • Ecology • Distribution • Taxonomy
Conservation Status |
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| IUCN Red List | not listed |
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| NatureServe | NNR - Unranked |
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| Minnesota | not listed |
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Description |
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Scaly Pelt Lichen is a common and widely distributed leafy lichen. It occurs in Europe, Asia, North America, Greenland, Australia, and New Zealand. It grows on the ground. The vegetative body (thallus) is leaf-like (foliose), with broad, upturned lobes. They are attached to the soil at occasional points by tufted or fibrous, anchoring structures (rhizines). The upper surface is bluish-gray when wet, gray or bluish-gray to brown when dry. It is covered with numerous, button-like or shield-shaped reproductive structures (isidia). This is the feature that gives the species its common name. The lobes are concave or more or less flattened, rounded or almost straight across (subtruncate) at the tip, 3 ⁄16″ to ⅜″ (5 to 10 mm) wide, and up to ⅜″ (10 mm) long. Adjacent lobes may overlap or be separate. The underside of the thallus is white with a network of indistinct, white to pale gray veins. |
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Ecology |
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Substrate |
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Ground |
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Growth Form |
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Foliose |
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Habitat |
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Hosts |
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Distribution |
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| 7/8/2022 | ||||
Occurrence |
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Taxonomy |
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| Kingdom | Fungi (fungi) | ||
| Subkingdom | Dikarya | ||
| Phylum | Ascomycota (sac fungi) | ||
| Subphylum | Pezizomycotina | ||
| Class | Lecanoromycetes (common lichens) | ||
| Subclass | Lecanoromycetidae (shield lichens, sunburst lichens, rosette lichens, and allies) | ||
Order |
Peltigerales | ||
Suborder |
Peltigerineae | ||
Family |
Peltigeraceae | ||
Genus |
Peltigera (pelt lichens) | ||
| Mycobiont | Peltigera lepidophora | ||
| Photobiont | Nostoc | ||
Synonyms |
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Common Names |
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Scaly Pelt Lichen |
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Glossary
Foliose
Adjective: Leaf-like growth form; referring to lichens with leaf-like growths divided into lobes.
Noun: The leaf-like, vegetative body of a lichen (thallus) that has thin, flat lobes which are free from the substrate.
Isidium
An asexual reproductive structure of a lichen in the form of a tiny outgrowth of the upper cortex. It consists of a cluster of algal cells (the photobiont) wrapped in fungal filaments (the mycobiont), and a shiny outer layer of protective tissue (cortex). Plural: isidia.
Rhizine
A root-like structure of a lichen that attaches the lower layer to the substrate.
Thallus
The vegetative body of a lichen composed of both the alga and the fungus. Plural: thalli.
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Created: 7/8/2022
Last Updated: