''Peniophora albobadia'' is a species of

crust fungus The corticioid fungi are a group of fungi in the Basidiomycota typically having effused, smooth basidiocarps (fruit bodies) that are formed on the undersides of dead tree trunks or branches. They are sometimes colloquially called crust fungi or pa ...

in the family

Peniophoraceae The Peniophoraceae are a family of fungi in the order Russulales. Species of this family have a cosmopolitan distribution and are mostly saprobic Saprotrophic nutrition or lysotrophic nutrition is a process of chemoheterotrophic extracellul ...

. It is a

saprobic Saprotrophic nutrition or lysotrophic nutrition is a process of chemoheterotrophic extracellular digestion involved in the processing of decayed (dead or waste) organic matter. It occurs in saprotrophs, and is most often associated with fungi (f ...

fungus, forming spreading crusts on the bark of decaying twigs and fallen branches of many hardwood species. The species epithet is derived from ''albo''-, white, and ''badi''- meaning reddish-brown, the epithet accurately describing the vivid contrast between the fertile area and the margin. First described

scientifically Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...

by Lewis David de Schweinitz in 1822, it was transferred to the genus '' Peniophora'' by

Jacques Boidin Ancient and noble French family names, Jacques, Jacq, or James are believed to originate from the Middle Ages in the historic northwest Brittany region in France, and have since spread around the world over the centuries. To date, there are over ...

in 1961. It is most commonly found in the United States. The common name, "Giraffe Spots," was coined by a member of the New York Mycological Society, based on specimens found during surveys of the boroughs of NYC.

References

Fungi described in 1822 Fungi of North America Fungal tree pathogens and diseases Stone fruit tree diseases Russulales Taxa named by Lewis David de Schweinitz {{Russulales-stub