Horizontal Pelt Lichen
Peltigera horizontalis
Peltigera horizontalis is a species of lichen in the family Peltigeraceae. It was first described by British botanist William Hudson in 1762 as Lichen horizontalis.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC) via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peltigera_horizontalis
Taxonomy & Classification
Kingdom
Fungi
Phylum
Ascomycota
Class
Lecanoromycetes
Order
Peltigerales
Family
Peltigeraceae
Genus
Peltigera
Horizontal Pelt Lichen belongs to the family Peltigeraceae, order Peltigerales, within the Lecanoromycetes class.
Species Profile
Peltigera horizontalis is a species of lichen in the family Peltigeraceae. It was first described by British botanist William Hudson in 1762 as Lichen horizontalis. German botanist Johann Christian Gottlob Baumgarten transferred it to the genus Peltigera in 1790.
Horizontal Pelt Lichen faces severe decline due to habitat loss from deforestation and land conversion, air pollution that disrupts its sensitive physiological processes, and climate change altering moisture and temperature regimes essential for its survival. As a slow-growing epiphytic species, it is particularly vulnerable to rapid environmental changes and has limited ability to recolonize disturbed areas.
Key Facts
Habitat & Distribution
Threats
IUCN Red List: Endangered
Horizontal Pelt Lichen faces severe decline due to habitat loss from deforestation and land conversion, air pollution that disrupts its sensitive physiological processes, and climate change altering moisture and temperature regimes essential for its survival. As a slow-growing epiphytic species, it is particularly vulnerable to rapid environmental changes and has limited ability to recolonize disturbed areas.
Air pollution and acid deposition
Climate change and altered precipitation patterns
Habitat loss and fragmentation from deforestation
Forest management practices and logging
Urban development and infrastructure expansion
Community Sightings
Report a sightingNo community sightings yet. Be the first to report!
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). Horizontal Pelt Lichen (Peltigera horizontalis). SpeciesRadar: Intelligence for Earth's Biodiversity. Available at: https://speciesradar.org/species/horizontal-pelt-lichen