Massalongia (fungus)
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| Massalongia | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Massalongia carnosa | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Lecanoromycetes |
| Order: | Peltigerales |
| Family: | Massalongiaceae |
| Genus: | Massalongia Körb. (1855) |
| Type species | |
| Massalongia carnosa | |
| Species | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
Massalongia is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Massalongiaceae. It has four species.[2] These lichens form small, leaf-like patches with narrow lobes that often arrange in loose rosettes and produce tiny finger-like projections for vegetative reproduction. They partner with nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria and are found growing on various surfaces in different climatic regions. The genus was established in 1855 by the German lichenologist Gustav Wilhelm Körber, who named it in honour of the Italian lichenologist Abramo Bartolommeo Massalongo.
The genus was circumscribed by the German lichenologist Gustav Wilhelm Körber in 1855, with M. carnosa assigned as the type species. In his original description, Körber distinguished Massalongia by its distinctive fruiting bodies (apothecia) that appear almost biatorine in form, with a proper exciple composed of fleshy tissue on the interior and a cortical layer on the exterior. He noted that the hymenium lacks the blue-black colouration typical of many related genera, instead showing a simple, thick structure with a cortical layer. The thallus was described as foliose (leafy) to squamulose (scaly), often forming crusted, compact growths with a black prothallus.[3] Körber named the genus in honour of Professor Massalongo in Verona,[4] recognising his contributions to lichenology. The type species M. carnosa was noted for its membranous, leaf-like thallus with densely crowded, elongated segments that have crenate margins, and its somewhat elevated apothecia with thin, pale margins.[3]
