In 1947, Marcelle le Gal attempted to erect the family Sarcoscyphaceae making Sarcosoma the type genus.

In the same publication, Korf also transferred four species into a separate genus, one that he named Galiella, honoring Le Gal for her dedicated work.

[2] In 1983, after further studying of Sarcosomataceae, Sarcosoma was suggested monotypic with S. globosum as the sole species in the genus,[3] which still is supported since it forms a separate phylogenetic lineage in a Bayesian inference consensus tree using two different genes (ITS and 18S ribosomal RNA).

[2] There is still a lot of uncertainty regarding where to place the remaining taxa, and currently 16 species are recognized by the catalogue of life,[7] despite the claims that the genus is monotypic.

[1][3][4] The genus is characterized by the dark brown or black apothecium which is gelatinous or leathery and releases a watery liquid when cut,[3] and by having monilioid external hairs and smooth spores.

[11] The timing of the development of the Ascocarp for S. globosum in west Siberia has been studied, finding that they start to emerge in May being globe shaped with an underdeveloped disc and dense gel inside.

[13][12] The ascospores are dispersed by wind, and in order to reach as far as possible, they are flung into the air by the ascus using a mechanism that is triggered by heat that it gets from the sun.