Arctic Orangebush Lichen

Xanthaptychia aurantiaca

General Status Rank: 
May Be At Risk
ELCODE: 
NLT0028830
Common Name: 
Arctic Orangebush Lichen
Scientific Name: 
Xanthaptychia aurantiaca
Synonyms: 
Teloschistes arcticus
Xanthoanaptychia arctica
Borrera aurantiaca
Seirophora aurantiaca
Naming References: 
B010
B121
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Taxonomy
Group: 
Lichen
Kingdom: 
Fungi
Phylum: 
Ascomycota
Class: 
Lecanoromycetes
Order: 
Teloschistales
Family: 
Teloschistaceae
References: 
B013
Habitat
On gravelly and sandy soils in exposed places along old beach lines (confined to a small area on and around Banks Island). This species primarily occurs in cracks on sedimentary substrates along ice-and-wind scoured shorelines, old beach ridges, and sandy or rocky hummocky tundra not far from the coast. This species is only known from 12 geographically distant or topographically separated locations (as defined by the IUCN) in the Canadian Arctic, documented by 18 herbaria collections. These sites are few and far between in an area with over 6,600 documented lichen collections made at dozens of collecting sites in the western Canadian Arctic, at sites surveyed by trained lichenologists, and by biologists unlikely to miss such a conspicuous species (CNALH 2020).
References: 
B010
B121
W2021001
Distribution

Ecozones

Northern Arctic, Southern Arctic
References: 
B010

Distribution

Endemic to the Inuvialuit Settlement Region in the Northwest Territories, Canada, where it occurs on Banks Island, Melville Island, Victoria Island, and the Cape Parry area of the Northwest Territories mainland (Brown 1823, Lambert 1966, Thomson 1984, Brodo et al. 2001, McMullin and Sokoloff 2018). Despite its large range in the Canadian Western Arctic, the locations this species occupies are geographically scattered across its range, and rarely encountered within it (McMullin and Sokoloff 2018). This species is only known from 12 sites in the Canadian Arctic, documented by 18 herbaria collections.
Score: 
F
References: 
B010
W2021001

Number of Occurrences

Twelve in total. Banks Island, Melville Island, and Parry Peninsula (B010); CANL: Scotter 18482, 12 July 1972, NT: District of Franklin, Banks Island, Sachs Harbour, 71 deg 59'N 125 deg 16'W, Dryas community types and ridges, 200-250 ft. elev.; Scotter 1-26449 and 1-26449D, 15 July 1978, NT, Cape Parry area, polar semi desert and seepage areas near Pin Main Dewline station, 70 deg 11'N 124 deg 42'W, 0-75 msm; M. Kuc s.n., (or AG-8?), 25 July 1968, southwest Banks Island, Masik River, 30 km from coast, 71 deg 36'N 123 deg 00'W, dry tundra; Scotter 18649, 15 July 1972, Banks Island, Johnson Point, dry areas with Dryas and Salix communities, alt 25'; W. Chambers s.n. 13 July 1987, Victoria Island, Martha's Lake, 70 deg 50'N 117 deg 45'W, 200-300 ft. elev., calcareous soils, east exposure, gentle slope about 10 feet above the lake; Tannheiser 242, 1973, Banks Island, Johnson Point; T. Hutchinson 35, August 1975, Cape Parry, in area 100 meters, on the northeast shore of Baleana Bay: 7 (R196); Thomson 1984 maps: 4 (R196); See (W2021001).
Score: 
B
References: 
B010
R196
W2021001

Area of Occupancy

Score: 
-
Population

Population Size

Only presently known from 18 collections made at 12 sites. This suggests that this species is both narrowly endemic to this Arctic region, and rare throughout its global range.
References: 
W2021001
Threats

Threats

Rapidly eroding coasts, increased ocean ice melt and increased saline wash from storm surges, and permafrost melting. All these threats are linked to a changing climate in the Beaufort Sea (Manson and Solomon 2007, Lantuit and Pollard 2008, Jones et al. 2009, Kokelj et al. 2012, Sankar et al. 2019). Other climate change-linked threats include the advancement of southern vegetation communities and the introduction of invasive species.
Score: 
D
References: 
W2021001

Intrinsic Vulnerability

Score: 
-
References: 
W2021001
General Status Rank
Rank: 
May Be At Risk
Status Rank Description: 
Inventory needed; calciphile in arctic desert, probably not widely overlooked, regional endemic.
S Rank: 
S1S2
Decision Process Description: 
Marsh GS rankings (2010). Reviewed by Janet Marsh in 2015, no change. Reviewed in 2020, no change.
Last Updated: 
April 19, 2024

References

Ecozones

  • Thomson JW (1984) American Arctic Lichens. Columnia University Press RWED Library Call #QK597.T5 - B010 Return

Habitat

  • Thomson JW (1984) American Arctic Lichens. Columnia University Press RWED Library Call #QK597.T5 - B010 Return
  • Brodo, I. M., Sharnoff, S. D, and Sharnoff, S. (2001) Lichens of North America. Yale University RWED Library - B121 Return
  • Sokoloff, P. & McMullin, T. (2020) Seirophora aurantiaca. The IUCN Red List of ThreatenedSpecies 2020: e.T175710010A175710692. . https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T175710010A175710692.en - W2021001 Return

Intrinsic Vulnerability

  • Sokoloff, P. & McMullin, T. (2020) Seirophora aurantiaca. The IUCN Red List of ThreatenedSpecies 2020: e.T175710010A175710692. . https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T175710010A175710692.en - W2021001 Return

Naming

  • Thomson JW (1984) American Arctic Lichens. Columnia University Press RWED Library Call #QK597.T5 - B010 Return
  • Brodo, I. M., Sharnoff, S. D, and Sharnoff, S. (2001) Lichens of North America. Yale University RWED Library - B121 Return

Number of Occurrences

  • Thomson JW (1984) American Arctic Lichens. Columnia University Press RWED Library Call #QK597.T5 - B010 Return
  • Goward, T. and Bjork, C. (2010) Macrolichens of the Northwest Territories: current status and future research. Unpublished report to the GNWT 15 pp plus app. Printed in binder - R196 Return
  • Sokoloff, P. & McMullin, T. (2020) Seirophora aurantiaca. The IUCN Red List of ThreatenedSpecies 2020: e.T175710010A175710692. . https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T175710010A175710692.en - W2021001 Return

Population Size

Sokoloff, P. & McMullin, T. (2020) Seirophora aurantiaca. The IUCN Red List of ThreatenedSpecies 2020: e.T175710010A175710692. . https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T175710010A175710692.en - W2021001 Return

Range Extent

  • Thomson JW (1984) American Arctic Lichens. Columnia University Press RWED Library Call #QK597.T5 - B010 Return
  • Sokoloff, P. & McMullin, T. (2020) Seirophora aurantiaca. The IUCN Red List of ThreatenedSpecies 2020: e.T175710010A175710692. . https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T175710010A175710692.en - W2021001 Return

Taxonomy

  • Hale ME (1979) How to Know the Lichens. Wm. C. Brown Company Publishers 2nd Edition RWED Library Call #QK583.H3 - B013 Return

Threats

  • Sokoloff, P. & McMullin, T. (2020) Seirophora aurantiaca. The IUCN Red List of ThreatenedSpecies 2020: e.T175710010A175710692. . https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T175710010A175710692.en - W2021001 Return