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Circinaria rogeri

(Sohrabi) Sohrabi

a lichen

G3Vulnerable Found in 1 roadless area NatureServe Explorer →

G3VulnerableGlobal Rank

HighThreat Impact

Identity

Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.866523

Element CodeNLHYM00110

Record TypeSPECIES

ClassificationSpecies

Classification StatusStandard

Name CategoryFungus

Endemicendemic to a single nation

KingdomFungi

PhylumAscomycota

ClassLecanoromycetes

OrderPertusariales

FamilyMegasporaceae

GenusCircinaria

Synonyms

Aspicilia rogeriSohrabi

Concept Reference

Sohrabi, M., S. Stenroos, F. Hognabba, A. Nordin and B. Owe-Larsson. 2011a. Aspicilia rogeri sp. nov. (Megasporaceae) and other allied vagrant species in North America. The Bryologist 114(1) 178-189.

Taxonomic Comments

Esslinger (2018) transfers Aspicilia rogeri to Circinaria rogeri. In a 2011 study, it was determined that material formerly attributed to Aspcilia fruticulosa in North America is morphologically distinct and in fact a new species, A. rogeri. No material belonging to the Eurasian A. fruticulosa has been found in North America (Sohrabi et al. 2011).

Conservation Status

Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2

Review Date2024-06-25

Change Date2024-06-25

Edition Date2024-06-25

Edition AuthorsJohnson, J. (2024)

Threat ImpactHigh

Range Extent200,000-2,500,000 square km (about 80,000-1,000,000 square miles)

Number of Occurrences21 - 80

Rank Reasons

Circinaria rogeri is a vagrant lichen that grows in sparsely vegetated sagebrush steppe in the western United States. While specific threats to Circinaria rogeri are not well documented, all vagrant lichens in the western US are threatened by large-scale land disturbance, altered fire frequencies, and habitat fragmentation, and some habitat has been lost through conversion to agricultural fields.

Range Extent Comments

Circinaria rogeri occurs in the western United States where it grows in eastern Oregon, central and southern Idaho, northeast Nevada, southwest Wyoming, eastern Utah, and western Colorado (Consortium of Lichen Herbaria 2024, GBIF 2024).

Occurrences Comments

By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium specimens, photo-based observations, and NatureServe Network occurrence data documented between 1993 and 2024, it is estimated that there are 40 occurrences range-wide (Consortium of Lichen Herbaria 2024, GBIF 2024).

Threat Impact Comments

The primary threats facing vagrant lichens, including Circinaria rogeri, include wide-scale land disturbance, altered fire frequencies, and habitat fragmentation (Rosentretter 1997). Moderate grazing by cattle may improve the habitat for vagrant lichens by reducing biomass produced by the plant community; sheep will readily forage on lichens (Rosentreter 1993).

Ecology & Habitat

Description

Thallus fruticose. Thallus of erect hemispherical to spherical cushions of knobby balls. Branches terete (or nearly so), short, thick, blunt, and tipped with conspicuous pseudocyphellae. Branching is dichotomous and very compact (McCune and Geiser 2009).

Habitat

Circinaria rogeri is found on calcareous soils in shrub steppe and prefers opens habitats that are moist in winter or spring and dry throughout the rest of the year (Sohrabi et al. 2011).

Terrestrial Habitats

Shrubland/chaparralGrassland/herbaceous

Other Nations (1)

United StatesN3

Province	Rank	Native
Colorado	S1	Yes
Idaho	S2	Yes
Montana	S1	Yes
Utah	S1	Yes
Oregon	S1	Yes
Wyoming	SNR	Yes
Nevada	S1	Yes

Threat Assessments

Threat	Scope	Severity	Timing
1 - Residential & commercial development	Small (1-10%)	Serious - moderate	Moderate (short-term)
2 - Agriculture & aquaculture	Small (1-10%)	Serious - moderate	Moderate (short-term)
2.1 - Annual & perennial non-timber crops	Small (1-10%)	Serious - moderate	Moderate (short-term)
2.3 - Livestock farming & ranching	Pervasive (71-100%)	Neutral or Potential Benefit	High (continuing)
3 - Energy production & mining	Small (1-10%)	Serious - moderate	High (continuing)
6 - Human intrusions & disturbance	Large (31-70%)	Slight or 1-10% pop. decline	High (continuing)
6.1 - Recreational activities	Large (31-70%)	Slight or 1-10% pop. decline	High (continuing)
7 - Natural system modifications	Pervasive (71-100%)	Serious - moderate	Moderate - low
7.1 - Fire & fire suppression	Pervasive (71-100%)	Serious - moderate	Moderate - low
7.2 - Dams & water management/use	Small (1-10%)	Serious - moderate	Moderate (short-term)

Plant Characteristics

DurationPERENNIAL

Economic Value (Genus)No

Roadless Areas (1)

Utah (1)

Area	Forest	Acres
Big Bear Creek	Manti-Lasal National Forest	28,440

References (9)

Consortium of Lichen Herbaria. 2024. https://lichenportal.org/portal/index.php (accessed 2024).
Elliott, B. A. and S. F. Smith. 2014. Rare Lichen Survey of BLM Lands in the Kremmling Area August 31, 2014. Prepared for: Carol Dawson Botanist Bureau of Land Management, Colorado State Office Denver, Colorado. https://www.elliottconsultingusa.com/Kremmling%20lichen%20survey%2012-4-14.pdf
Esslinger, T. L. 2018. A cumulative checklist for the lichen-forming, lichenicolous and allied fungi of the continental United States and Canada, Version 22. Opuscula Philolichenum 17:6-268. [http://sweetgum.nybg.org/philolichenum/]
Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2024. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2024).
McCune, B. and L. Geiser. 2023. Macrolichens of the Pacific Northwest, Third Edition, Revised and Expanded. ISBN 9780870712517
Montana Natural Heritage Program. 2024. Montana Field Guide. Online. Available: http://fieldguide.mt.gov (Accessed 2024).
Rosentreter, R. 1993. Vagrant lichens in North America. The Bryologist 96(3): 333-338.
Rosentreter, R. 1997. Conservation And Management Of Vagrant Lichens In The Northern Great Basin, USA. Chapter in Conservation and management of native plants and fungi : proceedings of an Oregon Conferenceon the Conservation and Management of Native Vascular Plants, Bryophytes, and Fungi. Native Plant Society of Oregon.
Sohrabi, M., S. Stenroos, F. Hognabba, A. Nordin and B. Owe-Larsson. 2011a. <i>Aspicilia rogeri </i>sp. nov. (Megasporaceae) and other allied vagrant species in North America. The Bryologist 114(1) 178-189.

Circinaria rogeri

Description

Habitat

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