Multisporidea

Multisporidea is a fungal genus in the family Malmideaceae. It is monotypic, containing the single species Multisporidea nitida, a corticolous lichen found in Réunion. The species was described as new to science in 2021 by lichenologists Klaus Kalb and André Aptroot. The type was collected in the Cirque de Cilaos, where it was found growing on tree bark in the remnant of a rain forest, at an altitude of 1450 m. The lichen has a dull, whitish to pale pinkish-brown thallus that is sometimes bordered by a black hypothallus measuring up to 0.3 mm wide. The specific epithet nitida refers to the glossy apothecia, while the generic name alludes to the multi-spored asci. The lichen is unreactive to standard chemical spot tests, and no lichen substances are detected with thin-layer chromatography.