Dynamics of the worldwide number of fungi with emphasis on fungal diversity in China

A survey and analysis of fungal taxa introduced over seven decades is presented. The numbers of introduced taxa were collated from ten editions of the Dictionary of the Fungi as well as from the Index of Fungi. In total, around 9100 genera and 108,000 species had been introduced by 2014. Between 1943 and 2008, the average numbers of introduced novel genera increased annually by 73 and species by 950. However, between 2008 and 2012, the average numbers of introduced novel genera increased annually by 110 and species by 1430. There were 1203 novel genera and 16,912 novel species described between 2001 and 2012, with an average of 100 new genera and 1397 new species published annually during the period. Advances in molecular techniques have accelerated the discovery of novel taxa; it therefore seems likely that many more novel taxa will be described in the future. Between 2001 and 2012, 1529 novel species were described from China, accounting for 9.2 % of all novel species descriptions worldwide. Around 17,000 fungal species had been recorded in China by 2014 with 5700 basidiomycete species, and 6700 species from important fungal groups being documented in Flora Fungorum Sinicorum with detailed descriptions, microscopic drawings and lists of voucher collections. An overview of studies on fungal diversity in China is presented.