History and the Current Status of Fungal Inventory and Databasing in Japan(Part One Collection Building)

Due to the regional broadening in south and north, Japan embraces a wide range of diversified organisms, and Fungi are not the exception. In spite of relatively long historical background in inventory of Japan's mycobiota, first compiled in 1905, much information remains to be added. Currently, rearrangement and databasing of the specimens in the mycological herbarium in National Science Museum (TNS) have been carried out, and some of the data is publically available. To extend the collection, strategic collection building, based on analysis of the specimens at hand and collaboration with other parties, are required. GBIF, an international biological databasing project, provides a good opportunity to integrate information of specimens conserved in the major mycological herbaria in Japan.