Easter Lichen
Stereocaulon paschale
Stereocaulon paschale is a species of lichen belonging to the family Stereocaulaceae.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC) via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stereocaulon_paschale
Taxonomy & Classification
Kingdom
Fungi
Phylum
Ascomycota
Class
Lecanoromycetes
Order
Lecanorales
Family
Stereocaulaceae
Genus
Stereocaulon
Easter Lichen belongs to the family Stereocaulaceae, order Lecanorales, within the Lecanoromycetes class.
Species Profile
Stereocaulon paschale is a species of lichen belonging to the family Stereocaulaceae.
Easter Lichen (Stereocaulon paschale) is critically endangered due to its extremely limited distribution on Easter Island (Rapa Nui), where it faces severe habitat degradation from invasive species, overgrazing, and human activities. The species' slow growth rate and specialized habitat requirements make it particularly vulnerable to environmental changes and disturbances on this isolated Pacific island.
Key Facts
Habitat & Distribution
Stereocaulon paschale is host to some lichenicolous fungi which infect various parts of the thallus. Most of these fungi have a Holarctic distribution. These fungi include: * Arthonia stereocaulina, Infects the phyllocladia but rarely causes disease. * Catillaria stereocaulorum, Mainly infects the phyllocladia, which can become swollen and dark. It is common in the Arctic. * Cercidospora...
Threats
IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered
Easter Lichen (Stereocaulon paschale) is critically endangered due to its extremely limited distribution on Easter Island (Rapa Nui), where it faces severe habitat degradation from invasive species, overgrazing, and human activities. The species' slow growth rate and specialized habitat requirements make it particularly vulnerable to environmental changes and disturbances on this isolated Pacific island.
Extremely small population size and restricted range
Habitat degradation from livestock grazing
Invasive plant species competition
Climate change and altered precipitation patterns
Human trampling and development pressure
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). Easter Lichen (Stereocaulon paschale). SpeciesRadar: Intelligence for Earth's Biodiversity. Available at: https://speciesradar.org/species/easter-lichen