Montana Field Guide

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Montana Field Guides

Home - Other Field Guides
- Kingdom - Fungi - Fungi
  - Division - Sac Fungi - Ascomycota
    - Class - (Lecanoromycetes) - Lecanoromycetes
      - Order - Peltigerales - Peltigerales
        
        Family - Peltigeraceae - Peltigeraceae
        
        Species - Lesser Tundra Owl Lichen - Solorina bispora

Lesser Tundra Owl Lichen - Solorina bispora

Species of Concern
Native Species

Global Rank: G5
State Rank: S1S2
(see State Rank Reason below)

Agency Status
USFWS:
USFS:
BLM:

External Links

State Rank Reason (see State Rank above)

Known from a few locations in western Montana.

General Description

Thallus foliose, generally poorly developed, mostly less than 1 cm wide, often just a small lobate rim on the apothecia; apothecia with 2 spores per ascus; lower surface tightly appressed to the substrate and difficult to determine; and photobionts green and blue-green (McCune and Geiser 2009).

Diagnostic Characteristics

Small thallus with relatively large apothecia. Examine thin sections of the apothecia under the compound microscope and look for 2 spores per ascus.

Range Comments

Mostly an arctic-alpine species, extending south in the Rocky Mountains to Colorado (McCune and Geiser 2009).

Observations in Montana Natural Heritage Program Database

Number of Observations: 5

(Click on the following maps and charts to see full sized version) Map Help and Descriptions

Relative Density

Recency

(Observations spanning multiple months or years are excluded from time charts)

Habitat

On calcareous soil or humus on moist sites in alpine to subalpine habitats.

Ecology

Photobionts: green algae and cyanobacteria (nitrogen-fixer).

Reproductive Characteristics

Reproduces sexually by spores from the apothecium. There are two spores per ascus.

Stewardship Responsibility

Threats or Limiting Factors

None identified.

References

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Citation for data on this website:
Lesser Tundra Owl Lichen — Solorina bispora. Montana Field Guide. Montana Natural Heritage Program. Retrieved on October 31, 2025, from https://FieldGuide.mt.gov/speciesDetail.aspx?elcode=NLLEC4G010