Brown Cobblestone Lichen vs Clustered Bracket

Acarospora fuscata compared with Inonotus cuticularis

Key Differences

• Brown Cobblestone Lichen is Least Concern while Clustered Bracket is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Brown Cobblestone Lichen	Clustered Bracket
Kingdom same	Fungi (Fungi)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class	Lecanoromycetes (Lecanoromycetes)	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)
Order	Acarosporales (Acarosporales)	Hymenochaetales (Hymenochaetales)
Family	Acarosporaceae	Hymenochaetaceae
Genus	Acarospora	Inonotus
Species	Acarospora fuscata	Inonotus cuticularis

Evolutionary Relationship

Brown Cobblestone Lichen and Clustered Bracket share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Fungi. (Fungi)

Conservation Status

Brown Cobblestone Lichen

LC — Least Concern

Clustered Bracket

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Brown Cobblestone Lichen	Clustered Bracket
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Brown Cobblestone Lichen

Habitat

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

Range

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

Clustered Bracket

Habitat

Typically found in forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil ecosystems.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (4 countries), and North America (United States). Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Brown Cobblestone Lichen

The Brown Cobblestone Lichen (Acarospora fuscata) is a species in the genus Acarospora. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Native to Europe and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Clustered Bracket

Inonotus cuticularis, the clustered bracket, is a polypore fungus in the family Hymenochaetaceae that grows on living and dead hardwood trees across the northern hemisphere. The fruiting bodies are bracket-shaped, overlapping in tiered clusters, with a yellowish-brown to rusty-brown upper surface that darkens with age, and a pale to golden pore surface beneath. This species causes white heart rot in its host trees, degrading the structural integrity of trunks and major branches. It commonly attacks living oaks, beeches, and other broadleaf trees, as well as occurring on dead wood. Inonotus cuticularis is listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN, reflecting its association with old-growth and veteran trees that are increasingly rare in managed European and North American landscapes. The decline of old-growth forest and the removal of veteran trees from managed woodlands and parklands has reduced suitable habitat for many bracket fungi. Conservation of ancient and veteran trees is therefore important for maintaining populations of this and many other wood-decay fungi with similar old-growth associations.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇺🇸 United States