Documenting the fungal biodiversity of Australasia: from 1800 to 2000 and beyond

the 200 years since Labillardicre named Aseroe rubra from Tasmania, a rich and diverse mycota has been documented from Australasia. In the 19th centur y, the systematic study of Australasian fungi was mostly carried out by Nor thern Hemisphere mycologists, who were sent material by numerous local coll ectors. Documentation of the mycota in the 20th century was concentrated on fungi of importance in plant and forest pathology, but workers in these fi elds also contributed to knowledge of native fungi. In the last few decades there has been a greater emphasis on biodiversity inventory of native fung i, which was the focus in the 19th century. Most contributions have been by relatively isolated individuals and by visitors and there remains a paucit y of systematic mycologists in the region. In recent times stronger links h ave developed among the mycologists of Australasia and there has been incre ased community involvement. Species from the region tend to be based on few specimens and type and other collections are scattered across many herbari a, including many outside of the region. There are few up-to-date monograph s, but a flora series (Fungi of Australia) has recently been initiated. Kno wledge of distribution, substrates and habitats is poor for most species, w ith the exception of common plant pathogens. The task of documenting the my cota of Australasia is enormous, but its achievement in a reasonable time f rame (a century rather than a millennium) needs to be considered. Better es timates of the magnitude of biodiversity are required to guide the task. Th e region is well-served by checklists, censuses, catalogues and databases o f fungal names and specimens. Some integration of these various data sets w ould be beneficial, as would availability of nomenclatural and specimen dat a through on-line databases. Measures are suggested for making existing inf ormation accessible, such as through interim and virtual floras.