- Proposed
- Under Assessment
- Preliminary Assessed
- Assessed
- VUPublished
Xanthoparmelia beccae Aptroot
- Scientific name
- Xanthoparmelia beccae
- Author
- Aptroot
- Common names
- IUCN Specialist Group
Lichens- Kingdom
- Fungi
- Phylum
- Ascomycota
- Class
- Lecanoromycetes
- Order
- Lecanorales
- Family
- Parmeliaceae
- Assessment status
- Published
- Assessment date
- 2017-08-25
- IUCN Red List Category
- VU
- IUCN Red List Criteria
- B2ab(iii,iv,v); D1+2
- Assessors
- Aptroot, A. & Perez-Ortega, S.
- Reviewers
- Scheidegger, C.
Assessment Notes
Justification
This species grows only on gravelly places on the mid-elevations of the mountains on St Helena. It is subject to accidental extinction by trampling, collecting, road development, and locally over-grazing. Collections should be regulated, also for scientific research.
Criterion A: may apply: the largest known location, 1 of 4 known to date, is on the track of a scheduled road which is being built in 2017; there are certainly more than 4 locations though: some localities have not yet been discovered.
Criterion B. does not apply.
Criterion C: does not apply.
Criterion D: According to the known number of populations (4) and the estimated number (c. 10) we estimate the number of individuals <1000.
The actual AOO is very likely <20km². this combined with the threat posed by the construction of a road over one of the largest known localities for this species means that it could be pushed into Critically Endangered, or even Extinct in a very short time space of time.
Geographic range
Occurs at mid elevations (400 to 480 m) of mountains on St Helena; known from four localities on the northern and eastern parts of the island.Population and Trends
The known population consists of at most a few dozen square meters in four stands; it is assumed that two to three times as many locations may exist. This species is asexual, so this has low genetic diversity and well as low plasticity. Hence populations may have problems to cope potential changes in local conditions.
Population Trend: decreasing
Habitat and Ecology
Grows on gravelly rocky soil in temperate shrubland, lying almost loose but does not get moved around.Threats
The largest known locality is at a place that is being developed to build a road for the new airport. It can be assumed lost.It is subject to accidental extinction by trampling, collecting, road development, and localised over-grazing.
Conservation Actions
The population on the track of the road that is being built could be removed to a safe place nearby. This has actually been suggested, and it may or may not being carried out. It should be forbidden to collect this species.In order to assess the population, some areas of St Helena that have not yet been investigated for lichens should be visited by a specialist.
