Fringed kidney lichen vs Naked Kidney Lichen

Nephroma helveticum compared with Nephroma bellum

Key Differences

• Fringed kidney lichen is Critically Endangered while Naked Kidney Lichen is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Fringed kidney lichen	Naked Kidney Lichen
Kingdom same	Fungi (Fungi)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum same	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)
Class same	Lecanoromycetes (Lecanoromycetes)	Lecanoromycetes (Lecanoromycetes)
Order same	Peltigerales (Peltigerales)	Peltigerales (Peltigerales)
Family same	Nephromataceae	Nephromataceae
Genus same	Nephroma	Nephroma
Species	Nephroma helveticum	Nephroma bellum

Evolutionary Relationship

Fringed kidney lichen and Naked Kidney Lichen share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Nephroma.

Conservation Status

Fringed kidney lichen

CR — Critically Endangered

Naked Kidney Lichen

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Fringed kidney lichen	Naked Kidney Lichen
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Fringed kidney lichen

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and montane grasslands and shrublands, among 4 distinct biome types spanning the Indomalayan and Neotropic and Oceanian realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (Norway, Portugal, Sweden), North America (United States), and South America (Colombia). Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Naked Kidney Lichen

Habitat

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

Range

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

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇺🇸 United States