Megaspora | |
---|---|
Close-up of thallus of Megaspora verrucosa with half-hidden (aspicilioid) apothecia | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Fungi |
Division: | Ascomycota |
Class: | Lecanoromycetes |
Order: | Pertusariales |
Family: | Megasporaceae |
Genus: | Megaspora (Clauzade & Cl.Roux) Hafellner & V.Wirth (1987) |
Type species | |
Megaspora verrucosa (Ach.) Arcadia & A.Nordin (2012)
| |
Species | |
M. cretacea | |
Synonyms | |
|
Megaspora is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Megasporaceae.
The genus was circumscribed by Georges Clauzade and Claude Roux in 1984 with M. verrucosa assigned as the type species.[2]
In 2012, Linda in Arcadia and Anders Nordin proposed to conserve the name Megaspora verrucosa (Ach.) Arcadia & A.Nordin against M. verrucosa Hafellner & V.Wirth due to taxonomic confusion stemming from historical errors in the original basionym citation.[3] The original introduction of Aspicilia subg. Megaspora erroneously cited Lecanora verrucosa Ach. as the basionym, when it should have been Urceolaria verrucosa Ach. This misattribution led to the invalid introduction of the name Megaspora verrucosa by Hafellner & Wirth based on the wrong species. To rectify this and prevent future taxonomic issues, the proposal suggested adopting M. verrucosa (Ach.) Arcadia & A.Nordin based on U. verrucosa Ach. as the conserved name, which the Nomenclature Committee for Fungi eventually recommended accepting after initially considering rejection.[4]