''Atla vitikainenii'' is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling) in the family

Verrucariaceae The Verrucariaceae are a family of mostly lichenised fungi in the order Verrucariales. The lichen-forming species, which comprise the vast majority of the family, have a wide variety of thallus forms, and include crustose (crust-like), foliose ( ...

. Found in northern Finland, it was formally described as a new species in 2016 by Juha Pykälä and Leena Myllys. The

type specimen In biology, a type is a particular wiktionary:en:specimen, specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally attached. In other words, a type is an example that serves to a ...

was collected by the first author from

Oulanka National Park Oulanka National Park ( fi, Oulangan kansallispuisto) is a national park in the Northern Ostrobothnia and Lapland regions of Finland, covering . The park was established in 1956 and was expanded in 1982 and 1989. It borders the Paanajärvi Nati ...

( Salla,

Koillismaa Koillismaa ("North-East Finland") is a subdivision of Northern Ostrobothnia and one of the Sub-regions of Finland since 2009. Municipalities * Kuusamo * Taivalkoski Geographic region Koillismaa is also a geographic region, which includes Kuu ...

), at an altitude of ; there, it was found growing on pebbles in a northeast-facing

dolomite Dolomite may refer to: *Dolomite (mineral), a carbonate mineral *Dolomite (rock), also known as dolostone, a sedimentary carbonate rock *Dolomite, Alabama, United States, an unincorporated community *Dolomite, California, United States, an unincor ...

rock outcrop. The species epithet honours Finnish lichenologist Orvo Vitikainen, who, according to the authors, "has contributed in many ways to our knowledge of the taxonomy, ecology and biogeography of Finnish lichens".

References

Verrucariales Lichen species Lichens described in 2016 Lichens of Northern Europe {{Eurotiomycetes-stub