University Park, PA—Drs. Dave Huff, Penn State, and Ambika Chandra, Texas A&M University (Ph.D. Penn State ’07), have named a new genus of fungi. The genus Salmacisia Huff & Chandra is derived from Salmacis (pronounced săl-MĀ-sĭs) and refers to the ability of the type species of this genus to induce hermaphroditism in its host.
According to Greek mythology, Salmacis was the determined water nymph responsible for transforming a remarkably handsome boy named Hermaphroditus into an intersexual individual possessing both male and female characteristics as a result of her divine union with him.