''Staurothele pulvinata'' is a species of

saxicolous A saxicolous lichen is a lichen that grows on rock. The prefix "sax" from the Latin means "rock" or "stone". Characteristics Saxicolous lichens exhibit very slow growth rates. They may develop on rock substrates for long periods of time, give ...

(rock-dwelling),

squamulose lichen A squamulose lichen is a lichen that is composed of small, often overlapping "scales" called squamules. If they are raised from the substrate and appear leafy, the lichen may appear to be a foliose lichen, but the underside does not have a "ski ...

in the family Verrucariaceae. The lichen was first formally described in 1861 by Theodor Magnus Fries, as a member of genus '' Endocarpon''. The

type specimen In biology, a type is a particular specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally attached. In other words, a type is an example that serves to anchor or centralizes th ...

was collected from northern Norway. The

taxon In biology, a taxon ( back-formation from '' taxonomy''; plural taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular n ...

was later transferred to '' Dermatocarpon'' by

Gustav Wilhelm Körber Gustav Wilhelm Körber (10 January 1817, Hirschberg – 27 January 1885, Breslau) was a German lichenologist. He studied natural sciences in Breslau and Berlin, obtaining his PhD in 1839 with the thesis ''De gonidiis lichenum''. After graduati ...

in 1863, and to '' Polyblastia'' by

Antonio Jatta Antonio Jatta (25 June 1852 – 4 August 1912) was an Italian politician and lichenologist. After completing his secondary studies at the Classical Lyceum Umberto I in Naples, at the age of 22 he graduated with honours in natural history at th ...

in 1900. Starri Heiðmarsson moved it to '' Staurothele'' in 2017, based on molecular phylogenetic analysis that showed it belonged to that genus. It is one of few squamulose species in a genus comprising mostly

crustose Crustose is a habit of some types of algae and lichens in which the organism grows tightly appressed to a substrate, forming a biological layer. ''Crustose'' adheres very closely to the substrates at all points. ''Crustose'' is found on rocks ...

lichens. ''Staurothele pulvinata'' has an arctic-alpine distribution; it has been recorded from Europe, Greenland, Iceland, and the United States.

References

Verrucariales Lichen species Lichens described in 1861 Taxa named by Theodor Magnus Fries Lichens of Northern Europe Lichens of Iceland Lichens of Subarctic America {{Eurotiomycetes-stub