Abstract
Access to name-bearing type material can be a particular frustration for those mycologists in the tropics, or working outside established institutions, where the specimens are known to exist but cannot be examined. They can be inaccessible because of loans policies and the inability of mycologists to make personal visits. Each case has to be considered separately, but a pragmatic nine-point approach is presented which may provide some guidance as to what can be done in such instances. A postscript draws attention to 12 points to consider when designated or handling name-bearing types.
Highlights
Many fungi have yet to be collected and named, and it appears that the number of undescribed species is at least 1.4 million and probably as many as 3 million (Hawksworth 2012a)
It is anticipated that many of these species are to be found in the tropics, and this poses particular constraints to their formal description
As there were few centres anywhere in the tropics where fungal material could be deposited and safeguarded for examination by future generations of mycologists in the 18th and 19th centuries, this situation was unavoidable in those times
Summary
Many fungi have yet to be collected and named, and it appears that the number of undescribed species is at least 1.4 million and probably as many as 3 million (Hawksworth 2012a). As there were few centres anywhere in the tropics where fungal material could be deposited and safeguarded for examination by future generations of mycologists in the 18th and 19th centuries, this situation was unavoidable in those times.
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