A citizen science contribution to the knowledge of the fungal diversity in Italy

Abstract

In May 2017, UNITE invited citizen scientists to send fungal collections for DNA sequencing. We describe the results of one response to this call: the findings of eight years of collecting fungi in Italy, mainly from urban parks in the Metropolitan city of Rome and forests and urban parks north of Rome in the Latium region. Between 2018 and 2025, authors AK and AF collected 486 fungal specimens, which they sent to the University of Tartu in Estonia. Overall, of the 233 distinct species identified by molecular analysis, 34 were rare, seven a first vouchered and phylogenetically confirmed record for Italy, and one a new species to science (Agaricus hortusdamarum). Urban habitats yielded 218 specimens, representing 165 species, advancing the knowledge of fungal diversity in these understudied environments.