Endemism and megadiversity regions for fungi in China

Fungal endemism in China is striking. About 2,700 species have been described based on specimens collected in this country, but many of these are unnecessary synonyms known species in other countries. Assuming that 2/3 of them are identified correctly, the number of endemic species is about 2,000 species, that is, about 25% of the total known species. More than 1,000 type specimens are deposited in the Mycological Herbarium of the Institute of Microbiology, Academia Sinica (MHAS). Forty percent of these were collected from Yunnan, Sichuan and Tibet, with the type specimens from Yunnan having the highest percentage. Types from Guangdong and Hainan in South China occupy the second place (15%). It is evident that the endemic species are mainly concentrated in the eastern rimlands of the Qingzang Plateau. Probably the Hengduanshan mountainous region, a vast region occupying northwestern Yunnan, western Sichuan and Tibet, has received the highest attention. A total of more than 4,000 species has resulted from various explorations in past years. The megadiversity status of this region in China is particularly obvious.

Taiwan is of great interest for mycologists, the fungal flora is exceedingly luxuriant, and there are about 4,300 species known from there, and the level of endemism is high. As far as rust fungi are concerned, more than 30% of 400 species in 50 recorded genera, are endemic.

The fungal flora of the eastern Himalayas is also extraordinarily rich and comprises 1,118 species, according to the statistics in the Mycological Herbarium of Academia Sinica (MHAS) Database. Adding up the specimens deposited in the Herbarium of the Kunming Institute of Botany, Academia Sinica (HKAS), the actual number of species is perhaps more than 1,500, i. e., about 20% of the China’s total.

To the south of the Tropic of Cancer, such as Guangdong, Hainan, southern Guangxi, and Xishuangbanna of Yunan, are still inadequately known as Chinese mycologists have only made a few investigations and there is little data.