alvarplacodlav
Squamarina gypsacea
Squamarina gypsacea is a distinctive crustose lichen that forms thin, grayish-white to pale yellow crusts on rock surfaces. This slow-growing species plays an important ecological role as a pioneer colonizer of bare substrates and contributes to soil formation through gradual rock weathering processes.
Photo: iNaturalist: (c) Heikel B., some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Heikel B.
Taxonomy & Classification
Kingdom
Fungi
Phylum
Ascomycota
Class
Lecanoromycetes
Order
Lecanorales
Family
Stereocaulaceae
Genus
Squamarina
alvarplacodlav belongs to the family Stereocaulaceae, order Lecanorales, within the Lecanoromycetes class.
Species Profile
Squamarina gypsacea is a distinctive crustose lichen that forms thin, grayish-white to pale yellow crusts on rock surfaces. This slow-growing species plays an important ecological role as a pioneer colonizer of bare substrates and contributes to soil formation through gradual rock weathering processes.
Squamarina gypsacea faces significant threats from habitat destruction and degradation of its specialized gypsum-rich environments. Mining activities, urban development, and infrastructure projects pose particular risks to the limited gypsum outcrops and semi-arid landscapes where this lichen occurs. Climate change and altered precipitation patterns may further stress populations already restricted to specific geological substrates.
Key Facts
Habitat & Distribution
This lichen species occurs on gypsum-rich soils, rocks, and outcrops in semi-arid and Mediterranean climates. It typically inhabits open, sun-exposed areas with calcareous or gypsiferous substrates, often in steppe-like environments and dry grasslands.
Threats
Habitat loss from mining and quarrying of gypsum deposits
Urban development and infrastructure expansion
Air pollution and atmospheric nitrogen deposition
Climate change and altered precipitation patterns
Recreational activities and trampling in sensitive areas
Community Sightings
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Sources & Attribution
How to Cite
IUCN: IUCN (2025). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2025-1. Available at: https://www.iucnredlist.org. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2025-1.RLTS
GBIF: GBIF.org (2025). GBIF Home Page. Available at: https://www.gbif.org
This page: SpeciesRadar (2025). alvarplacodlav (Squamarina gypsacea). SpeciesRadar: Intelligence for Earth's Biodiversity. Available at: https://speciesradar.org/species/alvarplacodlav