''Protopannaria pezizoides'', the gray moss-shingle, is a species of squamulose lichen in the family Pannariaceae. It was first described scientifically by the German botanist

Georg Heinrich Weber Georg Heinrich Weber (27 July 1752 Göttingen – 25 July 1828 Kiel) was a German botanist, physician and professor at the University of Kiel. He was also the father of Friedrich Weber, the German entomologist. In botany, Weber was known for his ...

in 1778. It has a long and complex

taxonomic Taxonomy is the practice and science of categorization or classification. A taxonomy (or taxonomical classification) is a scheme of classification, especially a hierarchical classification, in which things are organized into groups or types. ...

history, and has an extensive synonymy. It was transferred to the genus ''

Protopannaria ''Protopannaria'' is a genus of seven species of lichenized fungi in the family Pannariaceae. The genus was originally circumscription (taxonomy), circumscribed as a subgenus of the genus ''Pannaria'' by Hungarian lichenologist Vilmos Kőfaragó- ...

'' by Per Magnus Jørgensen and Stefan Ekman in 2000; it was assigned as the type species of the genus. ''Protopannaria pezizoides'' is widespread, with a continental distribution that includes Africa, Asia, North America, and Oceania. The lichen thrives in moist and/or humid conditions, predominantly found on soil and at the bases of trees, and occasionally on rocks, within forested and arctic-alpine settings. Its partner is from '' Nostoc'', a genus of

cyanobacteria Cyanobacteria (), also known as Cyanophyta, are a phylum of gram-negative bacteria that obtain energy via photosynthesis. The name ''cyanobacteria'' refers to their color (), which similarly forms the basis of cyanobacteria's common name, blu ...

. It does not contain any lichen products, and all standard chemical spot tests are negative.

References

Pannariaceae Lichen species Lichens described in 1778 Lichens of Africa Lichens of Asia Lichens of Europe Lichens of North America Lichens of Oceania Taxa named by Georg Heinrich Weber {{Peltigerales-stub