Taxon Report

Dermatocarpon meiophyllizum Vainio

silverskin lichen

Print Report



  Classification

Scientific Name:
Dermatocarpon meiophyllizum Vainio
Common Name:
silverskin lichen
Family: Verrucariaceae
Element Code: NLTEST91L0
USDA Plants Symbol:
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History

Lifeform: foliose lichen (aquatic)
Blooming Period:
Elevation: 295-3495 (970-11465)
General Habitats: Coastal prairie, Lower montane coniferous forest, North Coast coniferous forest, Subalpine coniferous forest, Upper montane coniferous forest
Microhabitat: Lake Margins, Rocky, Streambanks
Microhabitat Details: Usually aquatic to semi-aquatic, within splash zone of lakes or streams. Preferred habitat is undisturbed, exposed streams with large rocks or bedrock at high elevations, but it is also found in cold, deep canyons at lower elevations.

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB

Total Occurrences: 20
Element Occurrence Ranks:
   Excellent (A) 0
   Good (B) 0
   Fair (C) 0
   Poor (D) 0
   None (X) 0
   Unknown (U) 20
California Endemic:  False
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Alpine (ALP), Inyo (INY), Marin (MRN), Mariposa (MPA), Mono (MNO), Santa Barbara (SBA), Siskiyou (SIS), Trinity (TRI), Tuolumne (TUO)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Bates Canyon (3411988), Billys Peak (4112227), Boulder Peak (4112351), Dardanelles Cone (3811947), Disaster Peak (3811946), Dunderberg Peak (3811913), Kibbie Lake (3811917), Mt. Abbot (3711847), Mt. Lyell (3711963), Mt. Morgan (3711846), San Rafael (3712285), Tangle Blue Lake (4112226), Thompson Peak (4112311), Vogelsang Peak (3711973), Ycatapom Peak (4112217)

Notes

Threats:
Taxonomy:
Misidentified as D. luridum in western North America until 2004. Based on ongoing molecular study (Bruce McCune, unpub.), D. meiophyllizum does not occur in western North America; lichens identified as D. meiophyllizum in CA may be an existing, undetermined Dermatocarpon sp. or a novel taxon. Dermatocarpon meiophyllizum is a placeholder with 2B status until a new name or combination becomes available.

Selected References

Proposed Addition to California Rare Plant Rank 2B.3, G4 / S3
Acta Societatis Pro Fauna et Flora Fennica 49 (2): 1-274 (1921).
Annales Botanici Fennici 35: 59–70 (1998)
Evansia 21: 137-140 (2004)
Nordic Journal of Botany 20: 605-639 (2001)
Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 3 January 2025].