Alpine Sulphur-Tresses vs Common Tarcrust

Alectoria ochroleuca compared with Diatrype stigma

Key Differences

• Alpine Sulphur-Tresses is Least Concern while Common Tarcrust is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Alpine Sulphur-Tresses	Common Tarcrust
Kingdom same	Fungi (Fungi)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum same	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)
Class	Lecanoromycetes (Lecanoromycetes)	Sordariomycetes (Sordariomycetes)
Order	Lecanorales (Lecanorales)	Xylariales (Xylariales)
Family	Parmeliaceae	Diatrypaceae
Genus	Alectoria	Diatrype
Species	Alectoria ochroleuca	Diatrype stigma

Evolutionary Relationship

Alpine Sulphur-Tresses and Common Tarcrust share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Ascomycota. (Sac Fungi)

Conservation Status

Alpine Sulphur-Tresses

LC — Least Concern

Common Tarcrust

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Alpine Sulphur-Tresses	Common Tarcrust
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

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.

Common Tarcrust

Habitat

Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, and Sweden.

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.

Common Tarcrust

<em>Diatrype stigma</em>, the common tarcrust, is a saprotrophic fungus in the family Diatrypaceae, found across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, and Sweden, as well as more broadly in Europe and temperate regions globally. It grows as a crust-like, charcoal-black stromata on the dead bark and branches of deciduous hardwoods, particularly hazel, beech, and alder. The fruiting bodies are typically flat to slightly raised, dark gray to black patches that contain numerous embedded perithecia in which ascospores are produced. This fungus plays an important ecological role as a decomposer, breaking down dead woody material and recycling nutrients in forest ecosystems. It is Not Evaluated on the IUCN Red List; given its broad distribution on common substrates, it is generally considered widespread. The species reproduces via wind-dispersed ascospores released from the perithecia. Diet, as a saprotrophic organism, consists of dead organic woody matter. Biological traits such as colony growth rates, spore output, and longevity remain poorly documented in standardized quantitative assessments.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden