About Placopsis lambii Hertel & V.Wirth
Placopsis lambii is a saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen that belongs to the family Trapeliaceae. It was first formally described as a new species in 1987 by lichenologists Hannes Hertel and Volkmar Wirth. The species epithet lambii was chosen to honour polar explorer and lichenologist Elke Mackenzie, who was formerly known as Lamb. In North America, one common vernacular name for this lichen is pink bull's-eye lichen. It can be distinguished from similar species by its placodioid thallus, which has deeply notched, radiating edge lobes, a glossy upper surface, and typically dark, somewhat rounded soralia. It also has non-lobate cephalodia, which may be completely absent in some individual samples. This lichen predominantly produces 5-O-methylhiascic acid and gyrophoric acid. Placopsis lambii has a widespread but scattered overall distribution. It has been documented in many countries across Europe, in the African countries of Kenya, Lesotho, and Tanzania, in the South American countries of Bolivia and Chile, in the Central American countries of Costa Rica and Ecuador, in New Zealand, and in Asian Russia.
