ID Request Guidelines:

/r/mycology is not a "What is this thing" subreddit. It's for all aspects of mycology. However, ID requests are welcome if they have some quality. Well prepared ID requests will lead to interesting discussions we all can learn from. So, if you're going to submit one, please observe and follow these guidelines:

1. No requests without geography! This is a worldwide subreddit and the location of your find is crucial for correct identification.
2. No requests without any additional info you might have: Habitat, host trees if any, when it was found if not recent.
3. Not just a top view picture. Get pics of underside (Gills, gill attacment, pores, pore size), stem and stem base, - they are all important key points to correct identification.
4. Note that this is mandatory reading before submitting your first ID request: https://www.reddit.com/r/mycology/wiki/successful_id_requests https://www.reddit.com/r/mycology/wiki/mycology_and_hallucinogenics

The above guidelines ensure that you get more qualified answers to your requests, and that your post is interesting reading for the community. If you choose not to comply, the moderators have every right to remove your post.

/r/mycology and hallucinogenic fungi:

With the recent proliferation of ID requests that seek the identity or confirmation of fungi with psychotropic properties the mods have decided to address the issue in a more formal manner. While we have no particular objection to scientific discussions of fungi with psychotropic properties, we would like to keep discussions to exactly that - mentioning those psychotropic properties like any other characteristic. To wit, posts and comments specifically concerning:

• propagation,
• sale,
• foraging with specific intent to locate,
• ingestion, and/or
• use and enjoyment of fungi with psychotropic qualities

will be removed.

This is not to say that all references to fungi with psychotropic properties will be removed. For example, if you innocently post an ID request of some unknown fungus and the identity turns out to be a Psilocybin species, it will likely not be removed. Neither will a properly ID'd, high-resolution photo of a known hallucinogen be removed, so long as the thread abides by the rules above (so no compliments on the find, no probes about eating the find). However, posts that feature blurry heaps of damaged LBMs (little brown mushrooms) or posts asking for confirmation on several species of dung-loving fungi unquestionably will be removed without hesitation.

With that said, we love all things mycological and understand that learning about psychotropic fungi is part and parcel of the discipline. As a result, we'd like to point you in the right direction to continue to learn:

• The Shroomery
• /r/shrooms
• /r/shroomers

We have always attempted full transparency with the user base of our sub and with that in mind, we would like to hear your feedback regarding any of the rules.

As a reminder, here are the rules that we currently are enforcing:

1. No buying, selling, or links to commercial pages.
2. No posts or discussions about psychedelics.
3. No posts of scientifically non-important artistic depictions.
4. No off-topic posts.
5. Obey general Reddit rules.
6. No Intentional Misidentifications, Joke Responses, or Misinformation.

In case of suspected poisoning, please consult the Facebook poisoning group. Note, you must read the rules/submission guidelines before submitting, and it's for EMERGENCY identifications only. Link here

Mycota Lab is now offering free unlimited sequencing for Arizona, Atlantic Canada (New Brunswick/PEI/Nova Scotia/Newfoundland), California, Indiana, Michigan, and Puerto Rico:

" Our expanding collections network now has a name. Introducing The MycoMap Network - www.MycoMap.org. The 2024 open call for free, unlimited sequencing is for Arizona, Atlantic Canada (New Brunswick/PEI/Nova Scotia/Newfoundland), California, Indiana, Michigan, and Puerto Rico. More areas will be added in 2025. Dedicated web pages have been created for members of the network from Atlantic Canada and California (available at the link). Anyone from the open call areas can submit as many 2o24 specimens as they are willing to document, dry, and send in. Open call areas no longer have specimen limits or restricted dates for new collections from 2024. Sequencing is still performed at Mycota Lab. Localities outside the open call areas will still have opportunities to submit specimens during the 2024 Continental MycoBlitz dates (www.MycoBlitz.org). Please share to your local groups if you are from one of the open call areas. "

To submit samples for sequencing, make very detailed iNaturalist observations with many in situ sunlight photos showing the intact specimen from many angles, dehydrate the specimen at the lowest temperature your dehydrator allows, and send a small gill fragment (or as large as a triangular cutting from the mushroom cap) and voucher slip per the instructions on the Mycota website. For regions that are not currently included in the free unlimited sequencing, you can still send in samples for free/inexpensive sequencing (up to ten for free, $3 for every specimen after) during Mycoblitz time periods! :) (next Mycoblitz periods for 2024 are August 9–18 and October 18–27.)

Getting mushrooms sequenced (with detailed iNaturalist observations) is a great way to contribute to our collective understanding of all of the fungal species in the world, and there is a significant chance that you will be the first person to sequence a particular species :)