Fungal Isolates from Taxidermized Birds in Museum Collections

27 fungal isolates were collected from eight taxidermized bird specimens at the Science Museum of the University of Coimbra. The analysis identified 14 species across 13 genera, including the novel species Periconia callaina. Diana Paiva published this dataset on figshare in April 2026.

Use Cases

• Classify fungal species using genetic markers like ITS rDNA, LSU, SSU, TEF1α, and RPB2 sequences.
• Analyze fungal community composition across museum specimens using the 14 identified species and 13 genera.
• Train models to predict novel species discovery based on morphological characteristics and multi-locus phylogenetic data.
• Study patterns of biodeterioration by correlating fungal genera like Aspergillus and Penicillium with specific specimen types.

Strengths

• 27 fungal isolates provide a basis for analysis.
• 14 identified species across 13 genera offer taxonomic breadth.
• Data includes a newly proposed species, Periconia callaina.

Limitations

• Small sample size of only eight bird specimens.
• Geographic scope is limited to a single museum in Coimbra, Portugal.
• Unknown row count for underlying sequence or measurement data.

Provenance

Source

Science Museum of the University of Coimbra, Portugal.

Collection Method

Samples taken from eight taxidermized bird specimens, followed by culturing and integrative phylogenetic analysis.

Time Range

null

Freshness

Last updated April 2026.

Geography

Coimbra, Portugal.