From Historical Collection to Digital Data: A 150-Year-Old Mycological Collection Reveals the Earliest Documented Fungal Records from Sarawak and Provides Historical Fungal Data from Borneo and Sumatra

Historical fungaria serve as critical repositories for documenting fungal diversity and establishing historical baselines, particularly in biodiversity hotspots. This study presents a systematic revision of the mycological collection of Odoardo Beccari, gathered during expeditions to Southeast Asia and Oceania (1865–1878). While part of this collection was examined by Vincenzo Cesati in 1879, a substantial portion remained unstudied at the Natural History Museum, University of Florence, for over 150 years. We conducted a morphological examination (macro- and microscopy) and catalogued 153 fungal specimens. Taxonomic identities were assigned following current nomenclatural standards and cross-referenced with modern databases, including the Checklist of Fungi of Malaysia and the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). Of these, 84 specimens were identified to species level and 36 to genus level. The collection also includes four specimens corresponding to material used for the original description of species (type material). Nearly 50% of the taxa collected exclusively in Borneo are absent from modern regional checklists, highlighting significant gaps in current knowledge of mycobiota. GBIF data confirm Beccari as the earliest documented collector of fungal specimens in the rainforests of Sarawak. By documenting taxa not recollected in over a century, this study establishes a crucial historical baseline for fungal diversity in Borneo and provides valuable historical data for Sumatra. All specimen data are now publicly available through GBIF.