The first updated checklist of novel fungi in Pakistan (1947–2021)
Mubashar Raza1, 2, *, Lei Cai1, Muhammad Waseem Abbasi3, Rahila Hafeez4,5, Marium Tariq6, Paul M. Kirk7, Muzammil Hussain1,2, Nalin N. Wijayawardene8, 9
Affiliations
1State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, P.R. China.
2Department of Plant Pathology, University College of Agriculture, University of Sargodha, Sargodha 40100, Pakistan.
3Department of Botany, University of Karachi, Karachi 75270, Pakistan.
4State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, Ministry of Agriculture Key Lab of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Institute of Biotechnology, College of Agricultural and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, P.R. China.
5Department of Plant Pathology, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of the Punjab, Lahore 54590, Pakistan.
6M.A.H. Qadri Biological Research Centre, University of Karachi, Karachi-75270, Pakistan.
7Biodiversity Informatics & Spatial Analysis, Royal Botanic Garden Kew, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 3AE, UK.
8Center for Yunnan Plateau Biological Resources Protection and Utilization, Qujing Normal University, Qujing 655011, Yunnan Province, P.R. China.
9Section of Genetics, Institute for Research and Development in Health and Social Care, No: 393/3, Lily Avenue, Off Robert Gunawardane Mawatha, Battaramulla 10120, Sri Lanka.
*Corresponding author, email: [email protected]
†Alma mater
Abstract
The role of fungi in both natural and managed ecosystem processes is unequivocal, with mycotaxa being key drivers of soil, plant, and animal health. Recent advances in DNA-based species identification and classification have enforced mycologists to update national checklists for proper exploitation of fungal traits and functions. However, in some countries like Pakistan, a comprehensive checklist of fungal diversity, distribution, and their host range is still lacking. Herein, we summarize novel fungal species (including both macro- and micro-fungi) for the first time from distinct geographical locations of Pakistan. A total of 742 novel fungal species in 7 phyla have been reported in Pakistan since 1947, including 136 ambiguous species (as a result of cryptic species, taxonomy revisions, and lack of DNA sequence data) and 113 species with DNA sequence data. The compilation of the fungal name list provides an overview of the currently known fungal taxa in Pakistan and enables the assessment of the knowledge gap on the fungal biodiversity in comparison to the rest of the world. The current checklist will serve as a foundation for new fungi names to be added in the future and can be used as a reference by mycologists to retrieve fungal species from existing culture banks in Pakistan mentioned on the website www.fungiofpakistan.com to exploit their functional traits in the food industry, health sectors, and for sustainable agriculture in Pakistan.
Citation
Raza M, Cai L, Abbasi MW, Hafeez R, Tariq M, Kirk PM, Hussain M, Wijayawardene NN (2022) The first updated checklist of novel fungi in Pakistan (1947–2021). MycoAsia 2022/03. https://doi.org/10.59265/mycoasia.2022-03
Submission History
Received: 26.01.2022
Accepted: 15.03.2022
Published: 16.03.2022
Editorial Team
Handling Editor: Dr. Samina Sarwar
Reviewers: Dr. Rajesh Jeewon, Dr. Samantha C. Karunarathna, Anonymous reviewer