Species diversity in the collection is considerable (see table below), but it still represents less than 50% of named species (178 to date). The collection also contains a significant number of undescribed (or at least unidentifiable) species. For researchers, the most important aspect of this statistic is that 99% of all the species used experimentally in the literature (6098 references in our database) are represented in INVAM.

Efforts to formally name the undescribed species is not a priority for the collection except when it is used in a study that results in publishable data or involves fungal organisms with unique biological or ecological properties. During the past few years, several intrepid graduate students have visited the lab to work up descriptions on species in their studies, a service which we enthusiastically provide to broaden the experiences of budding mycorrhizologists.