| Flabelloporina | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Lecanoromycetes |
| Order: | Gyalectales |
| Family: | Porinaceae |
| Genus: | Flabelloporina Sobreira, M.Cáceres & Lücking (2018) |
| Species: | F. squamulifera
|
| Binomial name | |
| Flabelloporina squamulifera (Breuss, Lücking & E.Navarro) Sobreira, M.Cáceres & Lücking (2018)
| |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
Flabelloporina is a fungal genus in the family Porinaceae.[2] It consists of a single species, Flabelloporina squamulifera, which grows on tree bark in tropical rainforests. The lichen was first discovered in Costa Rica in 2013 and later found in Brazil, suggesting it may be more widespread in South and Central American wet forests. Flabelloporina is distinguished by its unique thallus (lichen body) structure, which produces numerous small, fan-shaped outgrowths called squamules. These structures, along with its black fruiting bodies and internal features, set it apart from related lichens. Originally classified in the genus Porina, genetic analysis in 2018 revealed it to be distinct, leading to the creation of the new genus Flabelloporina. The lichen typically inhabits the lower levels of humid forests, where it can sometimes extensively cover individual tree trunks.