A census of the mycological Herbarium Cag: macromycetes from the Mediterranean Area

Sardinia is considered one of the hotspots for biodiversity in the Mediterranean basin and it is included in EU and IUCN conservation policies (1). This high level of Biodiversity is possibly found also for what concerns Kingdom Fungi. From the foundation of Hortus Botanicus Karalitanus in 1866 Patrizio Gennari has undertaken the collection and exchanges of exsiccata of plants, bryophytes, lichens, algae and fungi. Moreover P. Gennari himself writes in one of his works dated 1874 (2) that the dry collections of the Botanical Garden comprehends also specimens coming from the “Erbario Crittogamico Europeo” by Rabenhorst and from the “Erbario Crittogamico Italiano” by the “Società Crittogamologica Italiana". So inside the Herbarium CAG various historical collections was achieved: apart from Raberhorst - Fungi europaei and Erbario crittogamico italiano also Fungi Longobardiae exsiccati by Cavara (3) was acquired. At the present time the Herbarium Mycologicum Calaritanum was further enriched by over 3000 exsiccata of Macromycetes, some of which have been reported as treated species on several published papers (4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9). Mostly are coming from donations by Marco Contu, a Sardinian Mycologist of international fame who deserves the credit for the description of most of the various type species. A preliminary census that concerns the most recent collections is ongoing and this lead to a new organization of the data. The most represented phylum is Basidiomycota with roughly 3000 specimens and the most featured families are Tricholomataceae, Cortinariaceae, Agaricaceae and Amanitaceae and the most represented genus is Amanita. A major part of the collection, over 85%, comes from Sardinia. Is therefore of the uttermost importance to preserve this patrimony.