Taxon Report
Dermatocarpon meiophyllizum Vainiosilverskin lichen |
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Taxon Summary
Dermatocarpon meiophyllizum, commonly known as silverskin lichen, is a foliose lichen (aquatic) in the Verrucariaceae that is found in California and elsewhere. It occurs within Coastal prairie, Lower montane coniferous forest, North Coast coniferous forest, Subalpine coniferous forest, and Upper montane coniferous forest, growing at elevations from 295 to 3495 meters. Dermatocarpon meiophyllizum is ranked 2B.3, Plants Rare, Threatened, or Endangered in California, But More Common Elsewhere; Not very threatened in California.Classification
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Scientific Name: |
Dermatocarpon meiophyllizum Vainio |
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Common Name: |
silverskin lichen |
| Family: | Verrucariaceae |
| Element Code: | NLTEST91L0 |
| USDA Plants Symbol: | |
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Synonyms/Other Names: |
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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. |
Conservation Status
| CA Rare Plant Rank: | 2B.3 |
| Global Rank: | G3G5 |
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State Rank: |
S3 |
| State List: | None |
| Fed List: | None |
| Other Status: | |
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CRPR Changes: |
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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) | |
Threat List Data from the CNDDB
| Threat List Total: | 0 | |
| EOs with Threat Listed: | Total EOs | % of EOs |
| 0 | % | |
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Notes
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Threats: |
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Taxonomy: |
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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). |
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Annales Botanici Fennici 35: 59–70 (1998) |
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Evansia 21: 137-140 (2004) |
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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 5 February 2025].