‘Uncharted territory’: more than 2m fungi species yet to be discovered, scientists say

Reishi mushrooms grow on a dead log, deep in the forest on Mount Mabu , northern Mozambique, an area that is is home to dozens of new species. Photograph: Jeffrey Barbee

More than 2m fungi species are waiting to be identified around the world in what scientists have called “a new frontier of discovery” for life on Earth, according to a new report.

But researchers also warn that the vast majority of new plant discoveries are endangered species, which should be listed as threatened with extinction by default, warning that three-quarters of undescribed species are likely to be at risk of disappearing.