Sticta brevior

Sticta brevior is a species of foliose lichen in the family Peltigeraceae. It is found in the Colombian Andes.

Taxonomy
The lichen was formally described as a new species in by lichenologists Bibiana Moncada and Robert Lücking. The type specimen was collected from the Vereda La Candelaria (La Plata, Huila) at an altitude of 2300 m.

In a time-calibrated chronogram of the phylogeny of the genus Sticta, Sticta brevior was most closely related to S. isidokunthii and a clade containing S. impressula, S. galowayana, and S. phyllidokunthii. Sticta pseudoimpressula, described as new to science from Bolivia in 2022, is also closely related.

Habitat and distribution
Discovered in the Colombian Andes, Sticta brevior typically thrives in semi-exposed microsites within (sub-)andine forests bordering páramo vegetation at elevations ranging from 2300 to 3600 m. It is predominantly found in the Cordillera Central and the Cordillera Occidental regions, spanning sub-andine, andine, and páramo regions. While it usually grows as an epiphyte, it may occasionally grow on the ground, often in close proximity to liverworts of the family Lejeuneaceae, and the genera Frullania and Jubula, as well as Sphagnum mosses. Additionally, it has been observed growing near the ground on Blechnum ferns.