Against the naming of fungi

The use of molecular bar-coding and consensus on nomenclatural practices has encouraged optimism about the future of fungal taxonomy and systematics. There are, however, profound deficiencies in our understanding of fungal diversity and broader problems with the taxonomic enterprise that deserve greater attention. For 250 years mycologists have tried to reconcile fungal diversity with the Linnean fantasy of a divine order throughout nature that included unambiguous species. This effort has failed and today's taxonomy rests on an unstable philosophical foundation. Rather than persisting with the present endeavour, it may be more fruitful to abandon the notion of fungal species pending further basic research. In the meantime, mycologists should consider tagging collections with digital codes and assigning these operational taxonomic units to higher taxonomic ranks whose objective reality is corroborated by strong phylogenetic evidence. •This article concerns shortcomings in fungal taxonomy and research on systematics.•For 250 years mycological research has been hampered by the Linnean system of taxonomy.•The author argues that mycologists should abandon current practices of naming fungal species.•Digital codes assigned to operational taxonomic units should replace Latin binomials.•Common names for mushrooms retain their value for identification.