Diversity and distribution of mushroom-forming fungi (Agaricomycetes) in Ireland

The diversity and distribution of Agaricomycete species in the Republic of Ireland (ROI) is examined and the records are compared with similar records from Northern Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales. The number of Agaricomycete species recorded from Ireland is much lower than in the other countries examined. The ROI has 100, 700, 1300 and 2200 fewer species than Northern Ireland, Wales, Scotland and England respectively. When species records according to major taxonomic clades are examined, it is evident that under-recording of Agaricomycete species from the ROI is common throughout all of the clades. Estimates of potential Agaricomycete diversity in the ROI indicate that 25 of the 26 counties have less than half of their likely Agaricomycete diversity recorded. Agaricomycete clades that have been reasonably well recorded and those that suffer from severe under-recording in Ireland have been identified, and preliminary lists of the 50 most common Agaricomycete and of possibly threatened Agaricomycetes in the ROI have been created. One of the main reasons for the low number of species recorded in the ROI is the lack of both professional and amateur mycologists conducting periodic surveys. This paper makes recommendations as to how the true Agaricomycete diversity of Ireland can be discovered.