Black-Footed Reindeer Lichen vs Greater Sulphur-Cup Lichen

Cladonia stygia compared with Cladonia sulphurina

Key Differences

• Black-Footed Reindeer Lichen is Endangered while Greater Sulphur-Cup Lichen is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Black-Footed Reindeer Lichen	Greater Sulphur-Cup 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	Cladoniaceae	Cladoniaceae
Genus same	Cladonia	Cladonia
Species	Cladonia stygia	Cladonia sulphurina

Evolutionary Relationship

Black-Footed Reindeer Lichen and Greater Sulphur-Cup Lichen share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Cladonia.

Conservation Status

Black-Footed Reindeer Lichen

EN — Endangered

Greater Sulphur-Cup Lichen

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Black-Footed Reindeer Lichen	Greater Sulphur-Cup Lichen
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Black-Footed Reindeer Lichen

Habitat

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

Range

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

Greater Sulphur-Cup Lichen

Habitat

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

Range

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

Black-Footed Reindeer Lichen

The Black-Footed Reindeer Lichen (Cladonia stygia) is a species in the genus Cladonia. It is currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Native to Europe and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

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