Vale Bruce Alexander Fuhrer (OAM) (December 31, 1930 – March 31, 2023)
Prolific photographer Bruce Alexander Fuhrer (OAM) died recently aged 92. Bruce was an Australian mycologist and fungus photographer.His photographic collection of fungi numbers more than 3000 species. He was in the School of Biological Sciences between 1972 and 1996.
Born in Woollahra, Sydney, in 1930, Bruce developed his interest in nature as a boy, exploring the parks and forests of Sydney and the Blue Mountains with his father.
At 17, he moved to Portland, Victoria, where he began his career as a photographer.
Bruce’s first publication was in 1978 – A Field Guide to the Common Genera of Gilled Fungi in Australia.
He has published many books and has credits for the photographs in Seaweeds of Australia (co-authored by Margaret Clayton). Bruce received an Honorary Master of Science degree in 1988 from Monash University for his work.
Bruce was a Senior Technical Officer in the Departments of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, during his time at Monash. He has discovered several previously undescribed fungal species and described many liverworts. There are four species of fungi and two liverworts named after him. The fungi are Calostoma fuhreri (Desert Prettymouth), Hygrocybe fuhreri , Hypoxylon fuhreri and Mycena fuhreri and the liverworts are Fossombronia fuhreri and Bazzania fuhreri.