Free Sequencing Opportunities

The MycoMap Network

Toward a census of North American macrofungi

 


Join the Network!

Atlantic CanadaCalifornia - Michigan - Missouri - Everywhere Else (see below)


 

Working towards a reasonably complete outline of North American macrofungal biodiversity by 2035.

Since 2017, collectors from Indiana have had an “open call” for new specimens. We have done online forays biannually from Indiana since that time, but collectors were also free to submit any specimens they found interesting outside of the online foray dates. For 2024, we are going to start expanding the areas where any/all NEW collections can be submitted for free DNA sequencing. This will now include not just Indiana, but also:

Arizona
California
Indiana
Michigan
Missouri
New Brunswick/PEI/Nova Scotia/Newfoundland
Puerto Rico

 

iNaturalist Project for 2024 Open Call Areas

For these areas there will no longer be individual limits on the number of collections submitted from the Continental MycoBlitz events. Anyone can also submit an unlimited number of specimens outside of the Continental MycoBlitz dates from these areas. For submission, follow the protocols outlined for the Continental MycoBlitz.

 


Participation is as easy as:

1. Print Voucher Slips & Post to the iNat Project w/ Voucher Number

2. Dry Specimens

3. Mail them in for DNA

 

Visit the project pages above for additional details on how to participate from your area.

 


 

Additional Free Sequencing Opportunities:

We provide a number of opportunities to have your specimens sequenced at no charge. These sequences are funded by the proceeds generated by the paid sequencing service.

Eastern North American species with no representative ITS sequence in GenBank
Any collection of macrofungi from eastern NA you can put a reasonable name to that DOES NOT HAVE a representative North American ITS sequence in GenBank. These specimens must have a reasonable attempt at an identification to species with your justification of the name being applied in MO/iNat notes.

Eastern North American Lepiotoids
Well documented specimens of Lepiotoids (Lepiota, Leucoagaricus, Leucocoprinus, Cystolepiota, Echinoderma) from eastern North America. Excluding Macrolepiota and common species (L. americanus, L. cristata sl.).

Cystoagaricus from North America
Any collections from this genus from North America.

To take advantage of these additional free sequencing offers just follow the protocols linked above.
 

FAQ

  • How do I find out if a specimen is in GenBank?
    Genbank is the public repository for DNA sequence data. You can search it using the example at the following link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nuccore/?term=amanita+flavoconia+internal
    Including "internal" at the end of your search will limit results to the DNA region of interest. If a species you collect does not have a sequence of the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS) then we would accept your specimen and sequence it for free.
  • What about species for which only European collections are represented in GenBank?
    We will sequence collections that lack reference data from North America.
  • Why do I need to upload to Mushroom Observer (MO) or iNaturalist (iNat)?
    These observational portals allow all of the metadata to be organized for quick processing by our lab. The most important information includes the collection date, the collection location, and color photographs.