First, I would like to thank all of you for visiting this blog. Within the last 30 days, there has been over 200 visitors from 5 different countries. It is my pleasure providing information about my research and personal life with you all. In the coming months I aim to post links to additional video clips, including those of me performing some original music. Please stop back frequently to check for updates.
I am now performing the very tedious task of reviewing all of the unknown specimens in my collection of fungi and identifying them. Most of this process is accomplished through the use of metadata recorded for each specimen in the collection. Online sources and field guides are being used to aid in the identification of the majority of these unknowns. However, there are many fungi within the collection that appear to be unnamed. The images to the left are three of these potential new species. The first is an Ascomycete and was only observed once within my research site. It was growing at the base of a very large oak tree that has recently fallen during a snow storm. The other two images are of fungi belonging to the phylum Basidiomycota and most likely the family Amanitaceae. These specimens were observed once this past summer growing in the soils near a trail running through my study site. When specific characteristics of these fungi were provided to a well known expert in this family, he indicated that he had never seen specimens like this before. I am therefore extremely interested in pursuing the molecular identification of all three specimens to determine if they have been described and entered into
NCBI. If you would like to help me in the identification of these or future specimens, please
e-mail me or leave a comment at the bottom of this post indicating your interest. Stay tuned for the confirmation of these novel species.
First, I would like to thank all of you for visiting this blog. Within the last 30 days, there has been over 200 visitors from 5 different countries. It is my pleasure providing information about my research and personal life with you all. In the coming months I aim to post links to additional video clips, including those of me performing some original music. Please stop back frequently to check for updates.
I am now performing the very tedious task of reviewing all of the unknown specimens in my collection of fungi and identifying them. Most of this process is accomplished through the use of metadata recorded for each specimen in the collection. Online sources and field guides are being used to aid in the identification of the majority of these unknowns. However, there are many fungi within the collection that appear to be unnamed. The images to the left are three of these potential new species. The first is an Ascomycete and was only observed once within my research site. It was growing at the base of a very large oak tree that has recently fallen during a snow storm. The other two images are of fungi belonging to the phylum Basidiomycota and most likely the family Amanitaceae. These specimens were observed once this past summer growing in the soils near a trail running through my study site. When specific characteristics of these fungi were provided to a well known expert in this family, he indicated that he had never seen specimens like this before. I am therefore extremely interested in pursuing the molecular identification of all three specimens to determine if they have been described and entered into NCBI. If you would like to help me in the identification of these or future specimens, please e-mail me or leave a comment at the bottom of this post indicating your interest. Stay tuned for the confirmation of these novel species.
Excellent mystery, Aaron. I can hardly wait to hear the outcome. Would you explain exactly what 'metedata' is, please?
ReplyDeleteI think the odds of a new mushroom species in the NE are low. But you never know!
ReplyDeletethe Ascomycete looks like an old cut stem of something from the Morchellaceae. Although the wrong time of year for morels, on rare occasion one is spotted in the fall or late fall in N America. The other two could indeed be Amanitas and contrary to previous comment, new spp of Basidios, including Amanitas are named all the time.
ReplyDeleteBritt
I didn't say it was impossible. I hope Aaron has found a new species. But mathematically speaking, the odds are low. There is quite a bit of foraying that goes on in the NE (and has been going on for quite some time). Now in western Brazil, and other less traveled places that's another story! A perusal of the TOCs of Mycotaxon and Mycologia certainly confirms that new species are found all the time--but not that often in the U.S.A.
ReplyDeleteOops. Correction. I meant to say the "probability is low."
ReplyDelete