''Pseudoplectania'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

fungi A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately from ...

in the family

Sarcosomataceae The Sarcosomataceae are a family of fungi in the order Pezizales. According to a 2008 estimate, the family contains 10 genera and 57 species. Most species are found in temperate areas, and are typically saprobic Saprotrophic nutrition or lyso ...

. The genus contains 12 species. '' Pseudoplectania ryvardenii'' was described in 2012, while '' Pseudoplectania carranzae'' was transferred to the genus (from ''

Plectania ''Plectania'' is a genus of fungi in the family Sarcosomataceae. There are 15 species in the genus, which have a widespread distribution, especially in northern temperate areas. ''Plectania'' was circumscribed by German botanist Karl Wilhelm Got ...

'') in 2013.

Taxonomy

The genus was

circumscribed In geometry, the circumscribed circle or circumcircle of a polygon is a circle that passes through all the vertices of the polygon. The center of this circle is called the circumcenter and its radius is called the circumradius. Not every polyg ...

by the German botanist

Fuckel Karl Wilhelm Gottlieb Leopold Fuckel (3 February 1821 – 8 May 1876) was a German botanist who worked largely on fungi. He worked as an apothecary from 1836 to 1852, afterwards deriving income from a vineyard he owned in Oestrich im Rheingau. ...

in 1870, who originally included the two species ''P. nigrella'' and ''P. fulgens''. The latter species was removed from the genus by

Pier Andrea Saccardo Pier Andrea Saccardo (23 April 1845 in Treviso, Treviso – 12 February 1920 in Padua) was an Italian botanist and mycologist. Life Saccardo studied at the Lyceum in Venice, and then at the Technical Institute of the University of Padua wher ...

in 1889, and made the

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen ...

of his newly created genus ''Otidella'' (now considered

synonymous A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...

with ''

Caloscypha ''Caloscypha'' is a fungal genus in the family Caloscyphaceae (order Pezizales). A monotypic genus, it contains the single species ''Caloscypha fulgens'', commonly known as the spring orange peel fungus, the golden cup, or the dazzling cup. It ...

'' as described by Boudier in 1885; ''P. fulgens'' is now ''

Caloscypha fulgens ''Caloscypha'' is a fungal genus in the family Caloscyphaceae (order Pezizales). A monotypic genus, it contains the single species ''Caloscypha fulgens'', commonly known as the spring orange peel fungus, the golden cup, or the dazzling cup. It ...

''). Saccardo added the species ''P. melania'' and ''P. stygia'', the latter of which is thought to be synonymous with ''P. nigrella.'' Phylogenetic analysis based on the

DNA sequence DNA sequencing is the process of determining the nucleic acid sequence – the order of nucleotides in DNA. It includes any method or technology that is used to determine the order of the four bases: adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine. Th ...

s of

ribosomal RNA Ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA) is a type of non-coding RNA which is the primary component of ribosomes, essential to all cells. rRNA is a ribozyme which carries out protein synthesis in ribosomes. Ribosomal RNA is transcribed from ribosomal ...

suggests that ''Pseudoplectania'' groups in a

clade A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English term, ...

together with ''

Galiella ''Galiella'' is a genus of fungi in the family Sarcosomataceae. The genus is widely distributed in northern temperate regions, and according to one estimate, contains eight species. Taxonomy ''Galiella'' was described in 1957 by Richard Korf an ...

'', ''

Urnula ''Urnula'' is a genus of cup fungi in the family Sarcosomataceae, circumscribed by Elias Magnus Fries in 1849. The genus contains several species found in Asia, Europe, Greenland, and North America. Sarcosomataceae fungi produce dark-colored (bro ...

'', ''

Sarcosoma ''Sarcosoma'' is a genus of fungi in the family Sarcosomataceae. The genus, widespread in north temperate and tropical areas, contains 16 species. The anamorph (asexual) form is the genus '' Verticicladium''. Ecology and habitat The type specie ...

'', and ''

Donadinia ''Donadinia'' is a genus of fungi in the family Sarcosomataceae. It contains the species '' Donadinia sibirica'' from Russia, and '' Donadinia seaveri'', found in Bermuda ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = National song , ...

'', and that it is most closely related to the latter genus. ''Pseudoplectania'' differs from ''Plectania'' mainly in spore shape—spherical in ''Pseudoplectania'' compared to ellipsoidal in ''Plectania''. The generic name means ''false

plectania ''Plectania'' is a genus of fungi in the family Sarcosomataceae. There are 15 species in the genus, which have a widespread distribution, especially in northern temperate areas. ''Plectania'' was circumscribed by German botanist Karl Wilhelm Got ...

''.

Description

The

fruit bodies The sporocarp (also known as fruiting body, fruit body or fruitbody) of fungi is a multicellular structure on which spore-producing structures, such as basidia or asci, are borne. The fruitbody is part of the sexual phase of a fungal life cyc ...

of ''Plectania'' fungi grow either in groups or scattered apart, with stems or without (

sessile Sessility, or sessile, may refer to: * Sessility (motility), organisms which are not able to move about * Sessility (botany), flowers or leaves that grow directly from the stem or peduncle of a plant * Sessility (medicine), tumors and polyps that ...

), and are large and fleshy. They are covered on the external surfaces with short, slender,

flexuous {{Short pages monitor