Moondust Speckled Lichen vs Powdered Speckled Shield Lichen

Punctelia caseana compared with Punctelia subrudecta

Key Differences

• Moondust Speckled Lichen is Least Concern while Powdered Speckled Shield Lichen is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Moondust Speckled Lichen	Powdered Speckled Shield 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	Parmeliaceae	Parmeliaceae
Genus same	Punctelia	Punctelia
Species	Punctelia caseana	Punctelia subrudecta

Evolutionary Relationship

Moondust Speckled Lichen and Powdered Speckled Shield Lichen share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Punctelia.

Conservation Status

Moondust Speckled Lichen

LC — Least Concern

Powdered Speckled Shield Lichen

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Moondust Speckled Lichen	Powdered Speckled Shield Lichen
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Moondust Speckled Lichen

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Norway and United States.

Powdered Speckled Shield Lichen

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (4 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Colombia). Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway 🇺🇸 United States