Common Boulder Lichen vs Smokey-Eyed Boulder Lichen

Porpidia macrocarpa compared with Porpidia albocaerulescens

Key Differences

• Common Boulder Lichen is Near Threatened while Smokey-Eyed Boulder Lichen is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Boulder Lichen	Smokey-Eyed Boulder Lichen
Kingdom same	Fungi (فطر)	Fungi (فطر)
Phylum same	Ascomycota (فطريات زقية)	Ascomycota (فطريات زقية)
Class same	Lecanoromycetes (لقنورانية)	Lecanoromycetes (لقنورانية)
Order same	Lecideales (Lecideales)	Lecideales (Lecideales)
Family same	Lecideaceae	Lecideaceae
Genus same	Porpidia	Porpidia
Species	Porpidia macrocarpa	Porpidia albocaerulescens

Evolutionary Relationship

Common Boulder Lichen and Smokey-Eyed Boulder Lichen share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Porpidia.

Conservation Status

Common Boulder Lichen

NT — Near Threatened

Smokey-Eyed Boulder Lichen

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Boulder Lichen	Smokey-Eyed Boulder Lichen
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common Boulder Lichen

Habitat

Native to Europe and North America and South America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (4 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Colombia). Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Smokey-Eyed Boulder Lichen

Habitat

Native to Asia and Europe and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Norway, Portugal, Taiwan, and United States.

Common Boulder Lichen

The common boulder lichen (<em>Porpidia macrocarpa</em>) is a crustose lichen species with a wide distribution across Europe and the Americas, recorded in Colombia, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, and the United States. This species typically inhabits siliceous rock surfaces in a variety of exposed terrestrial environments across both North and South America and Europe. The common boulder lichen is classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List, suggesting that its populations face potential pressures and require monitoring. As a slow-growing crustose lichen, it often colonizes hard rock substrates including granite and quartzite, forming a close symbiotic relationship between its fungal and algal components. It plays an important role in the early stages of soil formation through the gradual weathering of rock surfaces. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇺🇸 United States