Scopelophila (Mitt.) Lindb., Acta Soc. Sci. Fenn. 10: 269. 1872.

Weissia sect. Scopelophila Mitt., J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 12: 135. 1869. Scopelophila (Mitt.) Spruce, J. Bot. 10: 12. 1881, comb. superfl.

Merceya Schimp., Syn. Musc. Eur. (ed. 2): 852. 1876. 

Plants small to medium-sized, caespitose, green to yellowish green above, brown or blackish brown below, saxicolous or terricolous. Stems erect, irregularly branched, central strand absent, all cortical cells thin-walled, more or less uniform throughout; rhizoids scattered on stems, smooth or verrucose. Axillary hairs 2–3 or 5–6 cells long, lower 1–2 cells brown. Leaves ligulate, lingulate, oblong, or spathulate, erect or spreading at base, keeled, flexuose when dry, erect when wet; apices acute, short-acuminate or rounded-obtuse; laminae unistratose; margins entire or slightly crenulate; costa subpercurrent to percurrent, guide cells and single (dorsal) stereid cells well-developed, ventral surface layer of enlarged cells present or absent; upper cells rounded-quadrate, hexagonal, or oblate, firm-walled, somewhat bulging and smooth on both sides, basal cells rectangular, thin-walled, smooth, alar cells not differentiated. Dioicous. Perichaetia and perigonia terminal. Setae smooth.  Capsules exserted, short-cylindrical, erect, smooth, yellowish brown; exothecial cells quadrate to rectangular, thin-walled; stomata in neck; opercula rostrate; annuli persistent; peristome absent. Spores granulate. Calyptrae cucullate, smooth.