Club Grain-Spored Lichen vs Frosted Grain-Spored Lichen

Sarcogyne clavus compared with Sarcogyne regularis

Key Differences

• Club Grain-Spored Lichen is Data Deficient while Frosted Grain-Spored Lichen is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Club Grain-Spored Lichen	Frosted Grain-Spored Lichen
Kingdom same	Fungi (फफूंद)	Fungi (फफूंद)
Phylum same	Ascomycota (पुट कवक)	Ascomycota (पुट कवक)
Class same	Lecanoromycetes (Lecanoromycetes)	Lecanoromycetes (Lecanoromycetes)
Order same	Acarosporales (Acarosporales)	Acarosporales (Acarosporales)
Family same	Acarosporaceae	Acarosporaceae
Genus same	Sarcogyne	Sarcogyne
Species	Sarcogyne clavus	Sarcogyne regularis

Evolutionary Relationship

Club Grain-Spored Lichen and Frosted Grain-Spored Lichen share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Sarcogyne.

Conservation Status

Club Grain-Spored Lichen

DD — Data Deficient

Frosted Grain-Spored Lichen

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Club Grain-Spored Lichen	Frosted Grain-Spored Lichen
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Club Grain-Spored Lichen

Habitat

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

Range

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

Frosted Grain-Spored 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), and North America (United States). Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Club Grain-Spored Lichen

Sarcogyne clavus is a crustose lichen in the family Acarosporaceae, forming closely appressed, granular to warty grey-white thalli on calcareous rocks, concrete, mortar, and exposed mineral substrates. The species is characterized by its distinctive club-shaped or clavate ascospores, from which its specific name derives. Like other Sarcogyne species, it produces apothecia that are typically lecideine (lacking a thalline margin), dark-colored, and often somewhat convex. This lichen favors exposed, sunny rock faces with high calcium content, including limestone outcrops, old walls, and stone monuments. S. clavus is distributed across Europe and North America, occurring primarily in calcareous rock habitats. As a pioneer colonizer of bare rock, it contributes to the initial stages of ecological succession by weathering the substrate and accumulating organic matter. The IUCN lists this species as Data Deficient, reflecting insufficient data on its population size, distribution, and ecology to assess its conservation status with confidence. Lichens as a group are sensitive to air pollution, but calcicolous crustose lichens on exposed rock may be less vulnerable than foliose or fruticose species.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇺🇸 United States