Polypyrenula

Polypyrenula is a fungal genus in the family Trypetheliaceae, containing the single species Polypyrenula sexlocularis. It is a small, inconspicuous fungus that grows beneath the outer layer of tree bark in tropical regions, primarily in seasonally dry forests. The genus is characterized by its unique spore structure that features a combination of septum types not found in related fungi. First described from a specimen collected in the 1820s from Caribbean medicinal bark, Polypyrenula was long considered potentially extinct and was incorrectly classified in a different fungal family. Scientific collections gathered from Mexico, Bolivia, and the Caribbean have shown that the fungus is more widespread than previously thought. Molecular studies published in 2020 conclusively established its proper taxonomic placement among the early diverging lineages of the Trypetheliaceae. The fungus sometimes forms a symbiotic relationship with green algae, making it a "facultative lichen"....read more on Wikipedia.