• Proposed
  • 2Under Assessment
  • 3Preliminary Assessed
  • 4Assessed
  • 5Published

Lycoperdon niveum Kreisel

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Scientific name
Lycoperdon niveum
Author
Kreisel
Common names
 
IUCN Specialist Group
Mushroom, Bracket and Puffball
Kingdom
Fungi
Phylum
Basidiomycota
Class
Agaricomycetes
Order
Agaricales
Family
Agaricaceae
Assessment status
Proposed
Proposed by
Mikael Jeppson
Comments etc.
Mikael Jeppson

Assessment Notes

Taxonomic notes

All identifications need to be verified by sequence data. Designation of an epitype from Nepal would be crucial.
for the unambiguous interpretation of this species


Why suggested for a Global Red List Assessment?

A rare arctic-alpine species. Global warming is an immediate threat to fungi in these habitats. Small and fragmented population. 

Suggested assessment: NT-VU (A)


Geographic range

A rare species recorded in arctic-alpine habitats in Eurasia. Molecular data from North Macedonia seem to match sequences from northernmost Europe. e-DNA from the USA, India, Kyrzysistan, Japan, China, Guadaloupe and Dominica are ambiguous since they do not fully match European samples.  Records from Central Europe, S. America and Japan to be verified. The species has a stronghold in NE Iceland where it is abundant and regularly observed. Originally descriped from the Himalayas (Nepal).

The record from N. Macedonia is interesting as it widens the ecology of this species which perhaps opens for a “dark” distribution.


Population and Trends

Currently known from <100 localities.
Estimated numer of localities: 300
Estimated number of mature individuals: 6000
Fragmented population.
Theratened by habitat quality decline due to global warming. A negative trend can be expected.

Population Trend: Decreasing


Habitat and Ecology

Arctic-alpine heathland on calcareous soil; sometimes in the subalpine-arctic Dryas vegetation.


Threats


Conservation Actions

This should be closely and regularly monitored in its known stations. All records must be verified with sequence data.


Research needed

L. niveum belongs to a group of arctic-alpine puffballs that are very difficult to identify in the field, Due to its rareness, its intraspecific morphological features are little known and should be investigated.
Sequences from the holotype has failed (Larsson & Jeppson 2008) and an emended description by Kreisel turned out refer to a much more abundant species (L. lividum; Larsson & Jeppson 2008). An epitype from Nepal would be required to finally settle the species concept and nomenclatural issues.


Use and Trade


Bibliography


Country occurrence

Regional Population and Trends

Country Trend Redlisted