Athallia saxifragarum
Athallia saxifragarum is a ground-dwelling crustose lichen in the Teloschistaceae family. It was first described in 1955 by Josef Poelt as Caloplaca saxifragarum and was moved to the genus Athallia in 2013 after DNA studies.
Description: The lichen has a thin, white thallus (the main body). Its small yellow-orange fruiting bodies (apothecia) sit on the surface and are about the size of a pinhead. The discs are yellowish-orange, sometimes turning brown with age, and sit closely on the thallus.
Habitat and ecology: It grows on bryophytes (mosses and liverworts) and accumulated plant detritus, often around Saxifraga plants. It prefers dry, open habitats with alkaline (calcium-rich) soils, typical of Arctic and alpine regions.
Distribution and notes: It occurs in Arctic and alpine areas including Greenland, Svalbard, and the European Alps, and has also been found in North America. In Europe it has been documented in Fennoscandia (Finland, Norway, Sweden) in recent years (Finland and Norway records in 2014; Sweden in 2023). Sequenced material has come from alpine sites in Bulgaria (Pirin Mountains), Montenegro (Prokletije), and Romania (Retezat). It resembles Athallia pyracea but differs in its ecology (detritus and Saxifraga instead of woody substrates).
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 08:48 (CET).