Fungus · GBIF taxon 2605231
Rough Speckled Shield Lichen
Punctelia rudectaAlso known as Speckleback Lichen, Speckled Shield Lichen
Rough speckled shield lichens form sprawling, pale blue-gray rosettes across the bark of mature hardwood trees. The surface is textured with tiny white pores called pseudocyphellae, as well as dense outgrowths of isidia that break off to spread the fungus and its green algal partner. Sensitive to sulfur dioxide, this abundant foliose lichen acts as an effective biomonitor for air quality in eastern deciduous woodlands.
LichenEpiphyticFoliose
1 / 7—observations
—countries
—peak records
Not EvaluatedConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXNot Evaluated — not placed on the risk ladderRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Photosynthetic sugars from green algae and atmospheric minerals
Predators
- Slugs
- Snails
- Oribatid mites
ThreatsSevere air pollution, forest clearing, and intensive logging
HabitatsDeciduous and mixed forests, wooded parks, and shaded rock outcrops
Life spanSeveral decades
Size / weightNot available
Classification
- OrderLecanorales
- FamilyParmeliaceae
- GenusPunctelia
- SpeciesPunctelia rudecta
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Safe to observe at a normal distance; never consume wild fungi based on app identification alone.
Responsible observation
- Hand Lens Observation: Inspect the central lobes with a 10x magnifier to view the granular isidia and white pseudocyphellae.
- Leave in Place: Avoid peeling lichens off bark, as removal damages the slow-growing fungal body and host tree.
Neighbor (c) aarongunnar, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by aarongunnar · cc-by
Host Plant (c) Alicia Ballard, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by
Close Relative no rights reserved · cc0
Same Family no rights reserved, uploaded by Anne Parsons · cc0
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