Cottontail Foam Lichen vs Snow Lichen

Stereocaulon paschale compared with Stereocaulon glaucescens

Key Differences

• Cottontail Foam Lichen is Critically Endangered while Snow Lichen is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Cottontail Foam Lichen	Snow Lichen
Kingdom same	Fungi (Fungi)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum same	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)
Class same	Lecanoromycetes (Lecanoromycetes)	Lecanoromycetes (Lecanoromycetes)
Order same	Lecanorales (Lecanorales)	Lecanorales (Lecanorales)
Family same	Stereocaulaceae	Stereocaulaceae
Genus same	Stereocaulon	Stereocaulon
Species	Stereocaulon paschale	Stereocaulon glaucescens

Evolutionary Relationship

Cottontail Foam Lichen and Snow Lichen share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Stereocaulon.

Conservation Status

Cottontail Foam Lichen

CR — Critically Endangered

Snow Lichen

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Cottontail Foam Lichen	Snow Lichen
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Cottontail Foam Lichen

Habitat

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

Range

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

Snow Lichen

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Norway and United States.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway 🇺🇸 United States