Branching Pixie Pebblehorn Lichen vs Split-Peg Lichen

Cladonia decorticata compared with Cladonia cariosa

Key Differences

• Branching Pixie Pebblehorn Lichen is Least Concern while Split-Peg Lichen is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Branching Pixie Pebblehorn Lichen	Split-Peg Lichen
Kingdom same	Fungi (เห็ดรา)	Fungi (เห็ดรา)
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 decorticata	Cladonia cariosa

Evolutionary Relationship

Branching Pixie Pebblehorn Lichen and Split-Peg Lichen share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Cladonia.

Conservation Status

Branching Pixie Pebblehorn Lichen

LC — Least Concern

Split-Peg Lichen

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Branching Pixie Pebblehorn Lichen	Split-Peg Lichen
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Branching Pixie Pebblehorn Lichen

Habitat

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

Range

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

Split-Peg Lichen

Habitat

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

Range

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

Branching Pixie Pebblehorn Lichen

The Branching pixie pebblehorn lichen (Cladonia decorticata) is a species in the genus Cladonia. It is currently classified as Least Concern 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:

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