Annotated checklist of macrofungi recorded from Singapore: MacRitchie-Pierce F. Y. Tham and R. Watling QK 609.2 Tha.Mp 2017 Original from and digitized by National University of Singapore Libraries Original from and digitized by National University of Singapore Libraries Original from and digitized by National University of Singapore Libraries Original from and digitized by National University of Singapore Libraries Annotated checklist of macrofungi recorded from Singapore: MacRitchie-Pierce F. Y. Tham and R. Watling Original from and digitized by National University of Singapore Libraries Copyright © 2017 F. Y. Tham and R. Watling Email: [email protected] All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the authors. ISBN: 978-981-11-3805-8 Printed In Singapore Original from and digitized by National University of Singapore Libraries Abbreviations aff. affinis b/w black and white cf. conferre comb. nov. combinatio nova det. determinavit f. form FB fruitbody fig- figure herb herbarium id. idem incl. including leg. legit no. number q.v. quod vide P- page pp. pages PI. plate ser. series s.l. sensu lato s.n. sine numero spp species s. str. sensu stricto subsp. subspecies tr. tribe var. variety v Original from and digitized by National University of Singapore Libraries Original from and digitized by National University of Singapore Libraries Contents Pages Abbreviations v Introduction 1 Checklist of macrofungi collected from the areas 9 of MacRitchie and Pierce in Singapore Conclusion 71 Acknowledgements 76 References 77 Appendix I 85 Appendix II 98 Glossary 101 vii Original from and digitized by National University of Singapore Libraries Original from and digitized by National University of Singapore Libraries Introduction Background The fungal flora of Singapore was first listed in a report of the fungi of the Straits Settlements territories which also included records from Malacca and Penang (Chipp, 1921). A list of the fungi solely from Singapore was compiled by Turner et al. (1994) when an inventory of the biodiversity of the island was carried out. Most of the fungal records from Singapore are from the late 1800s to the 1970s. Many of the fungi were collected by the late Prof E. J. H. Corner (1906-1996). He was Assistant Director of the Singapore Botanic Gardens from 1929 to 1945 and famous both as a botanist and a mycologist. His fungal collections from Singapore which include specimens (dried and in alcohol-formalin), paintings, and notes are now preserved in various herbaria, with the greater part being in the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, as well as the Singapore Botanic Gardens. We wanted to review the macrofungal records from Singapore and group the fungi under the main locations from which they were collected. The locations are Bukit Timah (mainly the Nature Reserve), the Singapore Botanic Gardens (including the surrounding areas of Cluny Road and Dalvey Road), MacRitchie and Pierce (referred to as Reservoirs' Jungle by Corner), and Mandai and Seletar. Each of these areas has varying protection status and has undergone development at different rates in the modernisation of Singapore. This publication lists the macrofungi (or larger fungi) collected from MacRitchie and Pierce (the island's main water catchment area for a long time). There is growing interest in the natural history of Singapore with more people participating in nature 1 Original from and digitized by National University of Singapore Libraries activities - such as guided walks or exploring marked trails that are within MacRitchie and Pierce - to learn more about the island's biodiversity. The data compiled here can be used by persons keen to study and record fungi of this locality to refer to as a historical baseline. Macrofungi What are macrofungi? Macrofungi are the fungi often referred to as mushrooms or toadstools. They belong to the phyla (or divisions) Basidiomycota and Ascomyota and have large visible fruiting bodies. Many of these fungi are ecologically important as mycorrhiza and help plants gain access to greater water and mineral nutrient supplies (Van der Heijden et al., 1998). The partnership between plants and specific mycorrhizal fungi in the soil is fundamental to the healthy establishment of forests in several sites. Other macrofungi serve as decomposers in the environment by returning nutrients to the ecosystem. Many are sources of food for animals in the wild (e.g. tortoises, monkeys, squirrels, and a vast number of insects and other arthropods), not to mention also humans (Izzo et al., 2005; Walleyn & Rammeloo, 1994; Corner, 1988). Several macrofungi also provide compounds of medicinal value and yet others are economically important because they cause decay and disease. A general classification of what we consider macrofungi is provided in Appendix I. MacRitchie-Pierce (Reservoirs' Jungle) The forested area around MacRitchie Reservoir and the Lower and Upper Pierce Reservoirs (Figure 1) consists of mainly old secondary forests surrounding patches of primeval rainforests (Corlett, 1997). The area has also been referred to as the Reservoirs' Jungle by Corner and other collectors. Much of the virgin forest in 2 Original from and digitized by National University of Singapore Libraries the area had been replaced by gambier and pepper plantations by the end of the 19th century. The development of the reservoirs in the early 20th century however helped to prevent further destruction of the forest and offered some protection through its status as a water catchment site (Corlett, 1995). The secondary forest buffers the remnants of primary vegetation and also offers a habitat for forest-dependent animal species. In the last few years, the areas immediately around the reservoirs have experienced considerable change with intense demand for recreational space in land-scarce Singapore. Parks and accompanying amenities have sprung up around the reservoirs and designated walking trails have been created to allow greater visitor access. A proposal to run a stretch of a new 50 km subway line under the Catchment Area was announced in 2016. This additional train line - the Cross Island Line - which will run from Changi to Jurong, linking several densely populated residential regions, is slated to be completed by 2030. Feasibility studies are currently being conducted to assess the impact of tunnelling to the forests and wildlife and a final decision of whether to build the line through the forest (albeit 40 km below the surface), or have the line skirt around it but at additional cost, is expected to be made in about one to two years time. More changes to the area are inevitable. Annotations on the checklist In addition to published literature, the checklist in this book includes locations of the fungal specimens in the different herbaria in which they are now housed. Drawings, paintings and photographs of the fungal species in figures and plates in the publications cited are indicated. Additional illustrations such as original paintings of the fungi preserved in different herbaria 3 Original from and digitized by National University of Singapore Libraries worldwide are included (a number have not been written up in known publications but remain as the only known records of the fungi). This information can be used to facilitate retrieval of materials for those wishing to study these specimens in greater detail, or to focus on consolidating materials from a single group of fungi. The annotations also include brief extracts of field notes and comments made by the collectors. Such notes and comments, often excluded from conventional scientific listings, provide some context and background to the collections from a natural history or biographical perspective. While they may appear arbitrary or not strictly scientifically relevant, they do reveal interesting observations, or details about the people who collected the scientific data, and the period or circumstances in which the work was undertaken, and help make the lists more accessible to the general reader. There is overlap of some of the literature sources included here with the work of Lee et al. (2012a & b) who published a complete checklist of the literature relevant to the study of Malaysian macrofungi, as well as a checklist of fungi in Malaysia, which included records from Singapore. Recently, Horak (2011) also reviewed the boletales, a group of fleshy pored fungi, described by Corner between 1972 and 1974. In addition, Hattori made an extensive and systematic examination of Corner's polypores or bracket fungi (2000; 2001a & b; 2003a & b; 2005; 2013). We have thus updated some of the names and records in the checklist in this book based on the work of these researchers; new names and family concepts resulting from changes in the taxonomy of the various groups, and ambiguous identifications are indicated. Horak and Hattori's publications also remarked that several of the fungal specimens, including those from Singapore, have 4 Original from and digitized by National University of Singapore Libraries deteriorated with age and problems in storage, and there is thus a pressing need to re-examine and consolidate our knowledge of the collections from Singapore before it is too late. 5 Original from and digitized by National University of Singapore Libraries Original from and digitized by National