Brown Cobblestone Lichen vs Medusa Brittlestem

Acarospora fuscata compared with Psathyrella caput-medusae

Key Differences

• Brown Cobblestone Lichen is Least Concern while Medusa Brittlestem is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Brown Cobblestone Lichen	Medusa Brittlestem
Kingdom same	Fungi (Fungi)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class	Lecanoromycetes (Lecanoromycetes)	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)
Order	Acarosporales (Acarosporales)	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)
Family	Acarosporaceae	Psathyrellaceae
Genus	Acarospora	Psathyrella
Species	Acarospora fuscata	Psathyrella caput-medusae

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

Brown Cobblestone Lichen

LC — Least Concern

Medusa Brittlestem

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Brown Cobblestone Lichen	Medusa Brittlestem
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.

Medusa Brittlestem

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Currently classified as Endangered 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.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway