Letharia vulpina, commonly known as the wolf lichen (although the species name vulpina, from vulpine relates to the fox), is a fruticose lichenized species of fungus in the family Parmeliaceae. It is bright yellow-green, shrubby and highly branched, and grows on the bark of living and dead conifers in parts of western and continental Europe, the Pacific Northwest and northern Rocky Mountains of Western North America. This species is somewhat toxic to mammals due to the yellow pigment vulpinic acid, and has been used historically as a poison for wolves and foxes. It has also been used traditionally by many native North American ethnic groups as a pigment source for dyes and paints.
No narrative description available for this taxon yet.
Compounds documented for Letharia vulpina across natural-product and food-composition databases — not just the ~150 nutrients on a classic label ("nutritional dark matter").
A DNA barcode is a short, standardised stretch of genes that works like a fingerprint — enough to tell one species from another. Below is the molecular trace Letharia vulpina has left across the world's sequence archives.
At a glance
DNA specimens56
Marker genes2
GenBank sequences10
eDNA detections56
Countries6
The DNA barcodea real sequence read deposited for this species
Letharia vulpina isolate It_006 internal transcribed spacer 1, partial sequence; 5.8S ribosomal RNA gene and internal transcribed spacer 2, complete sequence; and large subunit ribosomal RNA gene, partial sequence
Marker genes sequenced
★ the standard DNA barcode for this group — the short region actually read to tell this species apart. The rest are extra genes sequenced along the way.
★ITS10★ITS1
fungal barcode
06Genome at a glanceGoaT · NCBI
The complete instruction manualLetharia vulpina carries — its genome. We read it from three angles — how big it is, how the DNA is packed into chromosomes, and how completely it has been sequenced — and explain how to read each value as you go.
Genome sizehow big the whole instruction manual is
Genome size54 530 000 bp
Measured in base pairs (bp) — the individual letters of DNA (human ≈ 3.2 Gb, a bacterium a few million). The chart places this genome on a logarithmic scale — each step to the right is ten times bigger — among reference organisms. Across species a bigger genome loosely tracks with larger cells, slower growth and lower-energy lifestyles (powered flight favours small genomes) — yet it does not imply more genes or a more advanced organism (the long-standing C-value paradox).
BACTERIUM Carsonella ruddii0.00016 Gb
FUNGUS0.04 Gb
THIS GENOME Letharia vulpina0.05 Gb
INSECT0.25 Gb
HUMAN3.2 Gb
WHEAT17 Gb
FERN Tmesipteris160.45 Gb
Sequencing statusassembly quality — how far to trust these numbers
Assembly level tells you how finished the sequence is — from fragmented contigs, through scaffolds, up to a full chromosome-level assembly. BUSCO % estimates completeness: the share of genes expected to be present that were actually found. These describe the data quality, not the organism.
Assembly levelScaffold
08Occurrence & distribution
Record type23 558 records
Wild obs. + sensor20 154
Museum / vouchered3 354
Other50
Origin
Native3
Range
Area of Occupancy AOO29 768 km²
Wildobservation + sensor
Human sightings and records, or camera-trap / sensor detections — someone (or a device) saw or captured the species in the wild.
Coordinate accuracy95% within 1 km
≤100 m 16 200≤1 km 1 110≤10 km 805>10 km 197
18 312 georeferenced · 1 842 without coordinates
Open the mapobservation + sensor20 154
Museum / Voucheredphysical evidence
Backed by a physical specimen — a herbarium sheet, sample or voucher held in a collection. “Vouchered” means supported by material evidence, not just an observation.
Coordinate accuracy43% within 1 km
≤100 m 223≤1 km 389≤10 km 575>10 km 220
1 407 georeferenced · 1 947 without coordinates
Open the institutions mapphysical evidence3 354
Wildobservation + sensor
Human sightings and records, or camera-trap / sensor detections — someone (or a device) saw or captured the species in the wild.
10Collections & institutions
Holding institutions56 of 114 geolocated
Institutions and collections holding physical, vouchered specimens of this species — click a row to fly to it on the map.
Institution
Specimens
Uppsala, SE
352
Olocation not on record
286
Madison, US
246
ASUlocation not on record
207
Chicago, US
162
LDlocation not on record
125
GZUlocation not on record
125
St. Paul, US
119
WTUlocation not on record
114
Bozeman, US
112
Vancouver, CA
79
Durham, US
71
Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung: Senckenberg Forschungsinstitut und Naturmuseumlocation not on record
64
DOI/NPS, Colonial National Historical Parklocation not on record
62
ILLSlocation not on record
61
US
50
Museo civico La Terra e l'Uomo di Crocetta del Montellolocation not on record
37
University of Stellenboschlocation not on record
36
Mlocation not on record
34
Santa Barbara, US
33
Trondheim, NO
31
Bronx, US
31
Boise, US
29
Entomological Society of Latvialocation not on record
28
Bergen, NO
26
Salzburg, AT
25
DOI/NPS, Little Rock Central High School National Historic Sitelocation not on record
25
TSBlocation not on record
23
Pocatello, US
22
Berlin, DE
20
Philadelphia, US
19
PHlocation not on record
19
New Haven, US
18
Minia, EG
18
Wuzhou, CN
17
Victoria, CA
17
Canberra, AU
17
Champaign, US
17
BG-NMNHSlocation not on record
17
Stockholm, SE
16
SLU Artdatabankenlocation not on record
16
Museo Entomologico de Leonlocation not on record
14
FLASlocation not on record
13
Knoxville, US
12
Frauenfeld, CH
12
Logan, US
12
Dhaka, BD
10
UNITOlocation not on record
10
Davis, US
9
University of Gdansklocation not on record
9
Museo civico di Storia naturale Giacomo Doria di Genova | Giacomo Doria Natural History Museum in Genoalocation not on record
9
McWane Science Centerlocation not on record
8
Mexico City, MX
8
TROMlocation not on record
7
MAlocation not on record
7
Chapel Hill, US
7
NMBU:MINAlocation not on record
7
Bureau of Land Management, Medford District Officelocation not on record
6
València, ES
6
Hobart, AU
5
Portland, US
5
University of Oslo, Natural History Museumlocation not on record
5
San Diego, US
5
nbflocation not on record
5
Ann Arbor, US
5
Oskarshamn, SE
4
Pullman, US
4
Arcata, US
4
BClocation not on record
4
CLUlocation not on record
4
Toronto, CA
4
Auckland, NZ
3
BioFokuslocation not on record
3
Weber State Universitylocation not on record
3
Winterthur, CH
3
Museum Ludovicae Ulricae, Zoology Institute of the University of Uppsalalocation not on record
3
MeiseBGlocation not on record
3
Université Lavallocation not on record
3
Museo Achille Folettolocation not on record
3
New Brunswick, US
3
Helsinki, FI
3
Göteborg, SE
2
Edmonton, CA
2
Henderson, US
2
Albuquerque, US
2
South Kensington, GB
2
EL PASO, US
2
BDBClocation not on record
2
CJBGlocation not on record
2
Madrid, ES
2
VALElocation not on record
2
Vitoria, ES
1
Memorial University of Newfoundlandlocation not on record
1
WU-MYClocation not on record
1
Klostermuseum Disentislocation not on record
1
US
1
Bernard Price Institute for Palaeontological Researchlocation not on record
1
Umeå Universitylocation not on record
1
Bourges, FR
1
Kew, GB
1
STNFlocation not on record
1
Fort Hayslocation not on record
1
GJOlocation not on record
1
University of Manitobalocation not on record
1
AUAlocation not on record
1
Canadian Department of Agriculturelocation not on record
1
MFUlocation not on record
1
Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Researchlocation not on record
1
Acadia Universitylocation not on record
1
Uniwersytet Wrocławskilocation not on record
1
DPIlocation not on record
1
AADClocation not on record
1
Swiss Federal Research Institute WSLlocation not on record
1
Chicago, US
1
114 institutions · 3 119 of 3 354 vouchered records shown · 227 without an institution code
09Environmental DNA56 detections
Where the DNA of Letharia vulpina was picked up in samples of water, soil or air — nobody saw the organism, only its DNA left behind. A trace is a clue that the species was near, not a confirmed sighting.
Signal
Detections DNA found56
Studies independent surveys1
Countries4
Signal confidence: weakweighed across independent studies, places & mapped detections
Where its DNA was found
0 of 56 detections have coordinates
Open the map4 countries0
Abies albaDry stump of Pinus sylvestris in pine forestOn standing dead Pinus sylvestris in boggy p…Dry branch of Pinus sylvestris in old pine f…Pa bjork i fjellbjorkeli
How strong is each trace?
DNA read depthRead counts were not reported for this species — the map shows presence only, not how strong each trace was.
Modelled climatemodelled
−15°Ctemperature across detection sites+40°C
Temperature median10.5 °C -1.80–15.6
Seasonal swing summer↔winter22.1 °C
Max temp (day)15.1 °C 0.6–21.9
Min temp (night)4.90 °C -5.90–8.70
Precipitation87.2 mm/mo 49.7–154
Air humidity56.8 % 53.9–67.0
Moisture balance33.2 mm/mo -80.4–111
Vapour deficit521 Pa 194–805
Wind speed2.40 m/s 1.60–3.10
Cloud cover45.9 % 38.5–52.5
CHELSA 1981–2010, ~9 km grid, at location & month of 14 detection points · median with p10–p90 · reflects where sampling happened, not only the true niche
How to read this: each dot is one detection of this species' DNA in an environmental sample. The confidence meter weighs how many independent studies and places back up the signal — one detection in one study is a hint; many across several studies is solid. Records dated before 2008 (when eDNA methods began) are treated as likely mislabeled and left off the map.
WikipediaWikimedia Foundation9 languages↗
BioWikiNetmultilingual Wikipediamultilingual↗
GBIFGlobal Biodiversity Information Facility23 558 records↗
ENAEuropean Nucleotide Archive · EMBL-EBI56 eDNA detections↗
BOLD SystemsCentre for Biodiversity Genomics56 specimens↗
NCBIUS National Library of Medicinesequences↗
LOTUSNatural Products (Wikidata)compounds↗
NPASSNat. Product Activity & Species Sourcecompounds↗
Open Tree of LifeOpenTreephylogeny backbone↗
GoaTGenomes on a Tree · Sangergenome & karyotype↗
GLoBIGlobal Biotic Interactionsbiotic interactions↗