Alpine Sulphur-Tresses vs Coelacanth

Alectoria ochroleuca compared with Latimeria chalumnae

Key Differences

• Alpine Sulphur-Tresses is Least Concern while Coelacanth is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Alpine Sulphur-Tresses	Coelacanth
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Lecanoromycetes (Lecanoromycetes)	Coelacanthi (Coelacanthi)
Order	Lecanorales (Lecanorales)	Coelacanthiformes (Coelacanthiformes)
Family	Parmeliaceae	Latimeriidae
Genus	Alectoria	Latimeria
Species	Alectoria ochroleuca	Latimeria chalumnae

Conservation Status

Alpine Sulphur-Tresses

LC — Least Concern

Coelacanth

CR — Critically Endangered

Population: ~500

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Alpine Sulphur-Tresses	Coelacanth
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	100 years
Average Length	—	1.8 m
Average Weight	—	80.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Alpine Sulphur-Tresses

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Norway, Sweden, and United States.

Coelacanth

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, among 8 distinct biome types spanning the Australasia and Afrotropic and Indomalayan realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Comoros, Indonesia, Mozambique, and South Africa. Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Alpine Sulphur-Tresses

The Alpine Sulphur-Tresses (Alectoria ochroleuca) is a species in the genus Alectoria. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Native to Europe and North America and South America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region. Distributed across Colombia, Norway, Sweden, and United States.

Coelacanth

A living fossil thought extinct for 65 million years until rediscovered off South Africa in 1938, coelacanths can reach 2 meters and 90 kg. They belong to an ancient lobe-finned lineage more closely related to tetrapods than to ray-finned fish, making them scientifically invaluable for understanding vertebrate evolution. Found in deep rocky reef habitats of the Indian Ocean, they are nocturnal and undergo internal fertilization, giving birth to fully formed live young. Critically Endangered.