New Zealand Fungarium

New Zealand Fungarium (PDD)
Te Kohinga Hekaheka o Aotearoa
Map
Established 1919 (1919-MM)
LocationAuckland
Coordinates36°53′01″S 174°50′57″E / 36.88350909°S 174.84913089°E / -36.88350909; 174.84913089
TypeCollection of dried fungi
Key holdingsFungi from Aotearoa New Zealand and the South Pacific
Collection size109,584 objects [1]
FounderG.H. Cunningham
CuratorDr Mahajabeen Padamsee
OwnerLandcare Research
Websitewww.landcareresearch.co.nz/pdd

The New Zealand Fungarium (PDD): Te Kohinga Hekaheka o Aotearoa is the major collection of fungi from Aotearoa (New Zealand). It is one of the largest collections in the Southern Hemisphere. The Fungarium is designated a Nationally Significant Collection by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.[2]

History

The accessioning of collections that led to the establishment of the New Zealand Fungarium (PDD): Te Kohinga Hekaheka o Aotearoa began with the appointment of G.H. Cunningham in 1919 by the Department of Agriculture. Cunningham and the collection were transferred to the Department of Science and Industrial Research's Plant Diseases Division in 1936. This is the origin of the PDD acronym. The DSIR was disestablished and reorganised into a number of Crown Research Institutes (CRI) in 1992. The Fungarium is now part of and maintained by the CRI Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research.[3][4][5][6]

Collections

The Fungarium houses the collections of R.E. Beever (Agaricales, Boletales), G.H. Cunningham (Aphyllophorales, Gasteromycetes, Uredinales), J.M. Dingley (Ascomycetes), E. Horak (Agaricales), S.J. Hughes (Hyphomycetes, sooty moulds), R.F.R. McNabb (Agaricales, Boletaceae, Dacrymycetaceae, Strobilomycetaceae, Tremellaceae), R.H. Petersen (Clavariaceae), G.J. Samuels (Ascomycetes), and K. Curtis. Fungal specimens from the herbarium of the Plant Health and Diagnostic Station, Levin (LEV) have been incorporated into PDD.[5][7]

The study of the New Zealand native mushrooms and other larger fungi was pioneered by Greta Stevenson, Marie Taylor, and Barbara Segedin from the late 1940s until the 1990s. Collectively they described over 250 new species of New Zealand fungi. All these are available through the Biota of New Zealand or Systematics Collections Data internet portals.[8][9]

The Fungarium has over 2900 Type specimens – these are the specimens on which the species descriptions are based.  These include over 17000 New Zealand primary Types.[3]

Fungarium staff undertook an assessment in 2019 to identify native fungi that are endangered. As a result, 30 species were added to The International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List.[10][11]

Staff talk about the Fungarium

References

  1. ^ Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research, 2023 Annual Report Part 01. ISSN 1172-7942
  2. ^ "New Zealand Nationally Significant Collections and Databases". Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  3. ^ a b Johnston, P. R.; Weir, B. S.; Cooper, J. A. (2017-04-03). "Open data on fungi and bacterial plant pathogens in New Zealand". Mycology. 8 (2): 59–66. doi:10.1080/21501203.2016.1278409. ISSN 2150-1203. This article incorporates text from this source, which is available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
  4. ^ Atkinson, J. D. (1976). "DSIR's first fifty years". Information Series (New Zealand. Department of Scientific and Industrial Research). 115. doi:10.7931/DL1-DIS-115.
  5. ^ a b McKenzie EHC. 2004. The history of taxonomic mycology in New Zealand. In: McKenzie EHC, editor. Introduction to fungi of New Zealand. Fungi of New Zealand volume 1. Hong Kong: Fungal Diversity Press; p. 49–80.
  6. ^ Johnston PR. 2006. New Zealand’s nonlichenised fungi - where they came from, who collected them, where they are now. Natl Sci Museum Monographs. 34:37–49.
  7. ^ Rhodes, Lesley L. "Story: Curtis, Kathleen Maisey". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  8. ^ "Systematics Collections Data". Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  9. ^ "BIOTA of NEW ZEALAND: Names and classification of bacteria, fungi, land invertebrates and plants". Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  10. ^ Chinn, Anna (6 January 2020). "NZ's endangered fungi: 'If it was a bird, people would be up in arms'". Radio New Zealand (RNZ). Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  11. ^ Cooper, J.A.; Buchanan, P.K.; Leonard, P.; Allison-Cooper, L.; Johnston, P.; Padamsee, M.; McKenzie, E.; Michel, P. (2022). Conservation status of selected species of non-lichenised agarics, boletes and russuloid fungi in Aotearoa New Zealand, 2021 (PDF). NEW ZEALAND THREAT CLASSIFICATION SERIES. Vol. 38. Department of Conservation Te Papa Atawhai. ISBN 978-1-99-116195-6. Retrieved 9 November 2024.