"Niebla pulchribarbara" is easily recognized by its secondary metabolite, the only species in the genus to contain protocetraric acid. Only four specimens of "Niebla pulchribarbara" were cited by Spjut in his taxonomic revision of "Niebla". Three are at the United States National Herbarium (Smithsonian Institution, Museum of Natural History, Department of Botany) of which two were collected by Spjut from a mesa above San Antonio del Mar, 25 March 1988 (accompanied by Daniel Norris) and 13 April 1990 (accompanied by Richard Marin); the third was from Bahía de San Quintín, the type locality; it was collected by Velva E. Rudd (3340b) in late January 1972 in regard to the Edward Palmer Project. She apparently found it with "Niebla palmeri" ("Rudd 3340a"). Although "Niebla pulchribarbara" was considered distinct from "N. josecuervoi" by Rundel and Bowler when they described the species in 1972, Bowler and Janet Marsh in 2004 decided they were no longer distinct; "N. pulchribarbara" was included under a broad species concept of "N. josecuervoi" in the "Lichen Flora of the Greater Sonoran Desert". Inconsistencies as a result of broadening the genus and species concepts are reported. World Botanical Associates, "Niebla pulchribarbara", retrieved 28 Dec 2014, http://www.worldbotanical.com/niebla_pulchribarbara.htm#pulchribarbara