The Basidiomycota constitutes a major phylum of the kingdom Fungi and is second in species numbers to the Ascomycota. The present work provides an overview of all validly published, currently used basidiomycete genera to date in a single document. An outline of all genera of Basidiomycota is provided, which includes 1928 currently used genera names, with 1263 synonyms, which are distributed in 241 families, 68 orders, 18 classes and four subphyla. We provide brief notes for each accepted genus including information on classification, number of accepted species, type species, life mode, habitat, distribution, and sequence information. Furthermore, three phylogenetic analyses with combined LSU, SSU, 5.8s, rpb1, rpb2, and ef1 datasets for the subphyla Agaricomycotina, Pucciniomycotina and Ustilaginomycotina are conducted, respectively. Divergence time estimates are provided to the family level with 632 species from 62 orders, 168 families and 605 genera. Our study indicates that the divergence times of the subphyla in Basidiomycota are 406–430 Mya, classes are 211–383 Mya, and orders are 99–323 Mya, which are largely consistent with previous studies. In this study, all phylogenetically supported families were dated, with the families of Agaricomycotina diverging from 27–178 Mya, Pucciniomycotina from 85–222 Mya, and Ustilaginomycotina from 79–177 Mya. Divergence times as additional criterion in ranking provide additional evidence to resolve taxonomic problems in the Basidiomycota taxonomic system, and also provide a better understanding of their phylogeny and evolution.

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Notes on 113 fungal taxa are compiled in this paper, including 11 new genera, 89 new species, one new subspecies, three new combinations and xx reference specimens. A wide geographic and taxonomic range of fungal taxa are detailed. In the Ascomycota the new genera Angustospora (Testudinaceae), Camporesia (Xylariaceae), Clematidis, Crassiparies (Pleosporales genera incertae sedis), Farasanispora, Longiostiolum (Pleosporales genera incertae sedis), Multilocularia (Parabambusicolaceae), Neophaeocryptopus (Dothideaceae), Parameliola (Pleosporales genera incertae sedis), and Towyspora (Lentitheciaceae) are introduced. Newly introduced species are Angustospora nilensis, Aniptodera

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Pyrosequencing, a non-electrophoretic method of DNA sequencing, was used to investigate the extensive fungal community in soils of three islands in the Yellow Sea of Korea, between Korea and China. Pyrosequencing was carried out on amplicons derived from the 5' region of 18S rDNA. A total of 10,166 reads were obtained, with an average length of 103 bp. The maximum number of fungal phylotypes in soil predicted at 99% similarity was 3,334. The maximum numbers of phylotypes predicted at 97% and 95% similarities were 736 and 286, respectively. Through phylogenetic assignment using BLASTN, a total of 372 tentative taxa were identified. The majority of true fungal sequences recovered in this study belonged to the Ascomycota (182 tentative taxa in 2,708 reads) and Basidiomycota (172 tentative taxa in 6,837 reads). The predominant species of Ascomycota detected have been described as lichen-forming fungi, litter/wood decomposers, plant parasites, endophytes, and saprotrophs: Peltigera neopolydactyla (Lecanoromycetes), Paecilomyces sp. (Sordariomycetes), Phacopsis huuskonenii (Lecanoromycetes), and Raffaelea hennebertii (mitosporicAscomycota). The majority of sequences in the Basidiomycota matched ectomycorrhizal and wood rotting fungi, including species of the Agaricales and Aphyllophorales, respectively. A high number of sequences in the Thelephorales, Boletales, Stereales, Hymenochaetales, and Ceratobasidiomycetes were also detected. By applying high-throughput pyrosequencing, we observed a high diversity of soil fungi and found evidence that pyrosequencing is a reliable technique for investigating fungal communities in soils.

Wild mushrooms are a vital source of income and nutrition for many poor communities and of value to recreational foragers. Literature relating to the edibility of mushroom species continues to expand, driven by an increasing demand for wild mushrooms, a wider interest in foraging, and the study of traditional foods. Although numerous case reports have been published on edible mushrooms, doubt and confusion persist regarding which species are safe and suitable to consume. Case reports often differ, and the evidence supporting the stated properties of mushrooms can be incomplete or ambiguous. The need for greater clarity on edible species is further underlined by increases in mushroom‐related poisonings. We propose a system for categorizing mushroom species and assigning a final edibility status. Using this system, we reviewed 2,786 mushroom species from 99 countries, accessing 9,783 case reports, from over 1,100 sources. We identified 2,189 edible species, of which 2,006 can be consumed safely, and a further 183 species which required some form of pretreatment prior to safe consumption or were associated with allergic reactions by some. We identified 471 species of uncertain edibility because of missing or incomplete evidence of consumption, and 76 unconfirmed species because of unresolved, differing opinions on edibility and toxicity. This is the most comprehensive list of edible mushrooms available to date, demonstrating the huge number of mushrooms species consumed. Our review highlights the need for further information on uncertain and clash species, and the need to present evidence in a clear, unambiguous, and consistent manner.

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