Toninia physaroides
Key Details
| Taxonomic Groups: | Fungus or lichen > lichen > Lichen |
| Red List Status: | Critically Endangered (Not Relevant) [CR(nr)] |
| D5 Status: | Included in the baseline Red List Index for England (Wilkins, Wilson & Brown, 2022) |
| Section 41 Status: | (not listed) |
| Taxa Included Synonym: | (none) |
| UKSI Recommended Name: | Thalloidima physaroides |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | (Opiz) Kistenich, Timdal, Bendiksby & S. Ekman |
| UKSI Recommended Qualifier: | (none specified) |
| Red List Citation: | Woods & Coppins, 2012 |
| Notes on taxonomy/listing: | (none) |
Criteria
| Question 1: | Does species need conservation or recovery in England? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Likely to be assessed as CR in new GB red list (in prep.). Probably only known from two sites in England, one only recently rediscovered with identity confirmed by DNA analysis. |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | True status in England needs clarification (more may exist passed off as T. sedifolia), and threats require targeted action. Threats known include vegetation succession in Breckland. |
| Question 3: | At a landscape scale, would the species benefit from untargeted habitat management to increase habitat mosaics, structural diversity, or particular successional stages? |
| Response: | No |
| Justification: | At this stage, probably not due to extreme rarity. |
Species Assessment
| Current step on the Species Recovery Curve (SRC): | 2. Biological status assessment exists |
| Recovery potential/expectation: | Unknown |
| National Monitoring Resource: | Opportunistic - insufficient |
| Species Comments: | Possibly (likely?) to be some confusion with T. sedifolia which is S41 listed. |
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Proposed Action: Review records of this and similar Thalloidima species, both herbaria and in the field where necessary, to establish status in England. Consider using DNA analysis.
Action targets: 3. National Monitoring Plan agreed and implemented
Action type: Status survey/review
Duration: 2 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 50 sites
High priority sites:
Comments:
Key Action 2
Proposed Action: Following A1, produce a species dossier to collate information on current and historic sites, including results of surveys and assessment of threats and remedial actions.
Action targets: 4. Autecology and pressures understood
Action type: Scientific research
Duration: 1 year
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 50 sites
High priority sites:
Comments:
Key Action 3
Proposed Action: Survey sites with no recent information (identified through A2) to update status assessments, identify habitat management issues impacting the species, and actions required to address them. Advise and support site owners and managers as required.
Action targets: 5. Remedial action identified
Action type: Status survey/review
Duration: 2 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 50 sites
High priority sites:
Comments:
Acknowledgment:
Data used on this website are adapted from Threatened species recovery actions 2025 baseline (JP065): Technical report and spreadsheet user guide (Natural England, 2025). Available here.