What is an iNaturalist MycoBlitz?

An iNaturalist MycoBlitz event is a group activity where people gather to find, photograph, and record different types of fungi in a specific area. The goal is to document as many species as possible in a short time, like a "fungi treasure hunt."

These events are important because they help scientists and conservationists understand the variety of fungi in an area, track changes over time, and protect rare or endangered species. 

By involving the community, MycoBlitz events raise awareness about the importance of fungi in ecosystems and contribute valuable data to global research.











How can I participate?

If you haven't signed up and created an account on iNaturalist.org, do that and then join our MNS Mycology Group - Selangor Branch iNaturalist Umbrella Project.

By participating in individual MycoBlitz events hosted by the MNSSB Mycology Group, your contributions will be added to the map to help expand and improve upon Selangor's virtual mycota - an online database that has detailed information about species of fungi in the country.


















What to expect 

Participants should bring a camera or smartphone to record their observations that they plan to upload to iNaturalist. Here is a checklist of what you would need to bring.

The event typically starts with a short introduction about how to use iNaturalist and the fungi you'll likely encounter. 

Get familiar with the species of fungi found around you

Here are some examples of field guides of typical mushroom species found at local forest parks around Selangor.
To further familiarize yourself with a more comprehensive list of all fungi in Malaysia, this list references the Checklist of Fungi of Malaysia 2012, cross-compared with all observations made on iNat in Malaysia, and all GenBank sequences uploaded up until August 30, 2024: https://www.inaturalist.org/lists/4378175-Malaysian-Fungi 

Getting an idea of what certain species are observed may help you to identify rare species that may not look familiar to you. 

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