- Scientific name
- Skeletocutis roseola
- Author
- (Rick ex Theiss.) Rajchenb.
- Common names
-
- IUCN Specialist Group
Mushroom, Bracket and Puffball
- Kingdom
- Fungi
- Phylum
- Basidiomycota
- Class
- Agaricomycetes
- Order
- Polyporales
- Family
- Polyporaceae
- Assessment status
-
Published
- Assessment date
- 2020-08-12
- IUCN Red List Category
-
VU
- IUCN Red List Criteria
-
C2a(ii)
- Assessors
- Martins da Cunha, K., Kossmann, T. & Drechsler-Santos, E.
- Reviewers
- Mueller, G.M.
Assessment Notes
Justification
Skeletocutis roseola is a rare wood-decay polypore only found in the Atlantic Forest domain of Brazil which is now mainly composed by fragments and secondary forest patches. The total population is estimated at no more than 10,000 mature individuals, all in one subpopulation. The population has declined, and is expected to further decline in the future. It is assessed as Vulnerable.
Geographic range
Skeletocutis roseola is currently known from the southern and south-eastern Atlantic Forest domain in Brazil, in São Paulo, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul states. The species is expected to occur throughout the southern and south-eastern Atlantic Forest of Brazil.
Population and Trends
Skeletocutis roseola is currently known from nine sites and 30 collections in the Atlantic Forest of southern and south-eastern Brazil, in the states of São Paulo, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul. These few reports in over 100 years since its description suggest that the species is rare, even in intensively surveyed areas. The species is expected to be scattered throughout the southern and south-eastern Atlantic Forest domain of Brazil, which is now mainly composed by fragments and secondary forests, with only 28% of its original area remaining (Tabarelli et al. 2010, Rezende et al. 2018). There are an estimated 1,000 sites, each one with up to 5-10 mature individuals, but despite this, it is thought that the species could be said to be in one subpopulation. The total population is estimated at no more than 10,000 mature individuals. The population is undergoing continuing decline, and is expected to further decline in the future.
Population Trend: decreasing
Habitat and Ecology
Skeletocutis roseola is lignicolous, growing on angiosperm trees, causing a white rot on dead wood. The species occurs scattered throughout the southern and south-eastern Atlantic Forest, in the
Araucaria moist forests and in the coastal Atlantic Forest, as well as montane cloud forests.
Threats
Skeletocutis roseola occurs in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil, which is regarded as a biodiversity hotspot for conservation priorities due to its high diversity, endemism rates and habitat loss (Myers
et al. 2000). This phytogeographical domain is estimated to has only 28% of its vegetation remaining, being fragmented and composed mainly by secondary forests (Tabarelli
et al. 2010, Rezende
et al. 2018). According to Pinto
et al. (2006), the Atlantic Forest is in this situation due to predatory exploitation of resources and other human actions, like urbanization. Over 60% of the Brazilian population lives in the Atlantic Forest, mainly in coastal areas, where the country’s largest cities are located (Rezende
et al. 2018). Other threats to the Atlantic Forest include an increase in fire frequency and intensity, introduction of exotic and invasive species and the connection between these factors (Brooks and Balmford 1996, Tabarelli
et al. 2006, Pinto
et al. 2006). Also, a reduction and ‘savannization’ of Atlantic Forest is expected due to climate change in the next decades (Salazar
et al. 2007).
Conservation Actions
The main actions to prevent the decline of the species are the protection of its habitat by the implementation of protected areas and enforcement of public policies to recover secondary forests. Additionally, more surveys are needed to better understand the species' ecology and distribution. Currently, there are no available DNA sequences of this species, and its phylogenetic and taxonomic status need to be better studied.
Use and Trade
No use/trade is known.
Source and Citation
Martins da Cunha, K., Kossmann, T. & Drechsler-Santos, E. 2021. Skeletocutis roseola. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T196135960A196846291.
https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T196135960A196846291.en .Accessed on 3 April 2024