vs Mt Pirri Deermouse

Cliostomum leprosum compared with Isthmomys pirrensis

Key Differences

• is Vulnerable while Mt Pirri Deermouse is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank		Mt Pirri Deermouse
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Lecanoromycetes (Lecanoromycetes)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Lecanorales (Lecanorales)	Rodentia (Rodents)
Family	Ramalinaceae	Cricetidae
Genus	Cliostomum	Isthmomys
Species	Cliostomum leprosum	Isthmomys pirrensis

Conservation Status

VU — Vulnerable

Mt Pirri Deermouse

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute		Mt Pirri Deermouse
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Norway, Sweden, and United States. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Mt Pirri Deermouse

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Found in Colombia.

Cliostomum leprosum is a crustose lichen-forming fungus in the family Ramalinaceae, notable for its powdery, leprose thallus that gives it a granular, mealy appearance on bark and wood substrates. Unlike many lichens that form well-defined, structured thalli, C. leprosum produces a loosely coherent sorediose crust ranging from pale greenish-grey to whitish, often colonizing deeply shaded, moist bark on deciduous and coniferous trees. The species is distributed across boreal and temperate forests of Europe and North America, with confirmed records from Norway, Sweden, and scattered locations in the United States. It photosynthesizes in partnership with green algal partners typical of crustose lichens. Cliostomum leprosum is assessed as Vulnerable due to its sensitivity to air pollution, particularly sulfur dioxide and nitrogen compounds that degrade lichen communities. Its decline is linked to habitat loss from intensive forestry, removal of veteran trees, and acidic deposition. Conservation efforts focus on preserving old-growth and semi-natural forest stands that provide suitable, low-disturbance bark microhabitats where this inconspicuous but ecologically significant lichen can persist.