Typification campaign

The typification campaign aims to identify and DNA-barcode collections that can serve as nomenclatural and interpretive types, for fungal species currently based on ambiguous original material. To achieve this, we would like to involve you in the effort to obtain good collections of selected fungi that can serve this purpose. Such collections offer improved documentation and can also be barcoded, allowing their DNA sequences to serve as reference points for the future.

Communicating fungal diversity relies on species names, which are anchored by type specimens. When a new fungal species is described today, it must be documented with a so-called holotype—that is, a collection that forms the basis for the species description and must be dried and stored in a recognized fungarium for posterity. Before 1958, there was no such requirement for a physical type. At that time, it was sufficient to provide a description of the new species in Latin, preferably accompanied by an illustration, known as a plate. Before 1935, even just some descriptive words and use of the Linnaean naming system was sufficient.

Imprecise or very short species descriptions and the lack of authentic type material have led to many disputes on how to interpret fungal names among fungal taxonomists, and the situation has complicated with the advance of DNA sequencing. Partly because these techniques have shown many classically well defined fungal taxa to be in fact species complexes, partly because many morphological characters have proven to be less reliable for species differentiation than traditionally believed.  The widespread use of DNA metabarcoding to characterize biodiversity has added a further level of complexity, because many well established taxa still lack a reliable reference sequence. Although 150,000 fungal species have been scientifically described so far, DNA reference sequences are missing for the majority. In several cases this is caused by lack of reference material that could be DNA-sequenced. Therefore, we aim in this campaign to obtain supplementary types of classical fungal taxa to stabilize species concepts linked to DNA reference sequences.

Unlike most other FunDive campaigns the Typification campaign targets different fungal species occurring in various habitats and parts of Europe. New species are occasionally added to the list of target species. You can check the typification map in our dataportal (https://fun-dive.eu/en/dataportal/) to see if we are targeting species described from your region, or in areas that you would like to visit. However, do note that for some target species, good collections are also wanted from other regions to clarify species distributions and morphological variation. Hence, you are also advised to check the list of targeted taxa and see if it includes species that you are familiar with.

For a collection to be suitable as an epi- or neotype, it must be very well documented, both with photos and a good description of habitat, substrate, and morphology, smell, and taste of fresh specimens. Ideally, it includes multiple fruiting bodies in good condition, encompassing both young and mature stages, all collected from the same mycelium. Collections need to be well dried soon after collecting, preferably using an air-dryer run at a temperature below 40 degrees C.

The collection details should be uploaded via one of the FunDive approved apps (preferably PlutoF GO, but also other biodiversity recording apps like iNaturalist,  the Danish Fungal Atlas app, VERA app connected to verspreidingsatlas.nl, Laji.fi app  https://laji.fi/, or FlorApp (in combination with the InfoFlora Fieldbook can be used) adding the description of the fresh specimens in the Remarks or Comments field. It is great if you also provide microscopic measurements and details, but this is not mandatory.