vs Green Sea Turtle

Chrysothrix candelaris compared with Chelonia mydas

Key Differences

is Least Concern while Green Sea Turtle is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank		Green Sea Turtle
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)	Chordata (cordados)
Class	Arthoniomycetes (Arthoniomycetes)	Reptilia (réptil)
Order	Arthoniales (Arthoniales)	Testudines (Tartaruga)
Family	Chrysotrichaceae	Cheloniidae (Sea Turtles)
Genus	Chrysothrix	Chelonia (Green Sea Turtles)
Species	Chrysothrix candelaris	Chelonia mydas

Conservation Status

LC — Least Concern

Green Sea Turtle

EN — Endangered

Population: ~85.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute		Green Sea Turtle
Diet	—	Herbivore
Average Lifespan	—	80 years
Average Length	—	1.2 m
Average Weight	—	200.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Habitat

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

Range

Found across Europe (4 countries) and South America (Brazil, Colombia).

Green Sea Turtle

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, among 8 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Australia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Indonesia, and Mexico. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Chrysothrix candelaris, commonly known as the gold dust lichen or egg yolk lichen, is a distinctive sorediate crustose lichen formed by the mutualistic association of a fungal partner (Chrysothrix candelaris, class Arthoniomycetes) with green algal photobionts. The lichen is immediately recognizable by its bright chrome-yellow to yellow-orange powdery soredia — granular reproductive propagules — which form a continuous farinose crust on the bark of acidic-barked trees, rock surfaces, and decaying wood in shaded, humid conditions. The vivid yellow color is due to calycin and other xanthone pigments. C. candelaris is widely distributed across Europe, North America, and South America, growing on smooth-barked deciduous and coniferous trees, boulders, and cliff faces in woodland and boreal forest habitats. It is assessed as Least Concern by the IUCN, reflecting its broad distribution and tolerance of a range of microhabitats. The lichen serves as a bioindicator of old-growth forest conditions and is sometimes used in air quality monitoring, as it is moderately sensitive to sulfur dioxide pollution. C. candelaris reproduces vegetatively through the dispersal of soredia by wind, water, and animals, which carry photobiont and mycobiont cells together.