DISCUSSION OF THE CHECKLIST

The checklist is derived from the list of fungi compiled by David Malloch for the three Canadian Maritime provinces (Fleshy Fungi (Basidiomycota) of the Atlantic Maritime Ecozone in McAlpine, D.F. and Smith, I.M. 2009. Assessment of Species Diversity in the Atlantic Maritime Ecozone, NRC Press, Ottawa). It includes mushrooms, boletes, puffballs, club- and coral-fungi and hydnoid fungi. New Brunswick is poorly explored for fungi and the list is still far from complete. Because of this the checklist is growing and will be updated frequently at this site.

All of the names included in the list are backed by dried specimens in recognized herbaria. Many of the earliest collections of New Bunswick fungi are not supported by herbarium specimens and cannot be verified. These include records published by James Fowler, George Hay, and Adaline and Mary Van Horne in the nineteen and early twentieth centuries. However, these identifications were often verified by experts such as William Farlow and Charles Peck and are of sufficient historical interest to be discussed in the links under those collectors' names. No new records will be added to the list that are not backed by specimens deposited in recognized herbaria. Each name on the list includes the name(s) of its original and combining authors (the "authorities" of the name) and is followed by the source, the code letters of the herbarium where a specimen from New Brunswick is available.

People trying to learn names of fungi are often frustrated and annoyed to find that familiar names have been changed. This is unavoidable. Although we strive for stability, the names for fungi sometimes change. These changes are partly for historical reasons. The International Code of Botanical Nomenclature (ICBN), often referred to only as "The Code", requires mycologists to use the earliest name available for a fungus. Thus if a fungus was first named in 1850 and then mistakenly renamed by someone else in 1870 we are required by the ICBN to use the 1850 name and not the 1870 one. Now and again someone discovers an older name for a fungus on our checklist and we have to correct it. Another cause for name changes is the discovery, often by molecular genetic methods, that a species has been assigned to the wrong genus and has to be reassigned to the correct one. In some of these cases the selection of a "correct" name is a matter of opinion and may not be embraced by all mycologists. No mycologist is an expert in all groups and must accept the opinions of trusted authorities. In our checklist we have mostly followed the lead of the two mycological web sites Index Fungorum and MycoBank. If you cannot find a species on our list you think should be there, check those two resources to confirm that the name you know is the one in current use. Index Fungorum and Mycobank may sometimes differ in the name they indicate as current, sometimes making it necessary to search our checklist in both.

The long-term objective of this project is to deepen our understanding of the New Brunswick mycota (fungus population). The process will be gradual and will be implemented by providing links from names on the list to illustrations and discussions of the organisms. Those names having a link are in a blue font and underlined. Unless otherwise noted, the illustrations were made from New Brunswick fungi. All illustrations were made from specimens deposited in recognized herbaria and each bears a code identifying the particular collection number and institution where it is preserved. Where no institution is indicated the collection is in the herbarium of the New Brunswick Museum.

Some users may be surprised, or even annoyed, by the emphasis on microscopic features in the illustrations. In fact, the Internet is host to large numbers of mushroom illustrations; the number of species is amazingly great. In spite of this, very few of the illustrations available include microscopic details, something of a handicap when trying to use them as an aid to precise identification. In addition, those of us who like to use a microscope are many and we take great pleasure in seeing what's "under the hood". Think of it, without using a microscope you might never be able to appreciate the porcupine of the mushroom world and many other such wonders.

David Malloch
New Brunswick Museum