Assessment Notes

Justification

Cortinarius velatus is a medium-sized mushroom with a short, stout stature, a lilac to lavender cap, a thick, persistent veil, and rusty spores. It is typically buried or growing under duff, forming ectomycorhizal associations with conifers. It is rarely reported; known from a very limited number of collections and observations. It is known from the central and southern Sierra Nevada mountains of California, USA, in high elevation Lodgepole Pine and fir (Abies spp.) forests. Given its distribution and the fact that the majority of accepted reports of occurrence are from 2020 or later, the species is likely uncommon but not extremely rare. It could occur in 500-1,000 sites, within its known range, each with up 10-15 mature individuals for a total estimated population size of 5,000-15,000 mature individuals, all in one subpopulation. The past and ongoing decline in habitat area and quality is determined to be having a negative impact on its population size. It is conservatively assessed as Vulnerable.

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Taxonomic notes

This species was described from a collection made at Huntington Lake, in Sierra National Forest, California, USA (Thiers and Smith 1969). There is at least one similar (and apparently rare) undescribed species Cortinarius velatus has been mistaken for. Work on western North American 'velate' Cortinarius is underway, which should clarify names.

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Geographic range

Cortinarius velatus is known only from high elevation forests in the southern and central Sierra Nevada in California.

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Population and Trends

It is rare, occurring in high elevation Sierra Nevada forests. Currently it is known from two historic collections and 10 more recent collection and observations (Siegel et al. 2019, MyCoPortal 2024, iNaturalist 2024). It has also been reported (but apparently not collected) from an additional site (Thiers and Smith 1969). While more data are needed to identify the factors constituting suitable habitat for this species and refine population estimates and trends, its scattered distribution along the Sierra Nevada Mountains indicates that it probably not Critically Endangered. Given its distribution and the fact that the majority of accepted reports of occurrence are from 2020 or later, the species is likely uncommon but not extremely rare. It could occur in 500-1,000 sites within the known extent of occurrence, each with up 10-15 mature individuals for a total estimated population size of 5,000-15,000 mature individuals, all in one subpopulation. The past and ongoing decline in habitat area and quality is determined to be having a negative impact on its population size.

Population Trend: Decreasing

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Habitat and Ecology

It is scattered or emerges in small clusters, typically buried in duff, rarely breaking through the soil surface. It is ectomycorrhizal with conifers, but exact host associations are unknown. The most recent collection was in Lodgepole Pine (Pinus contorta) and Red Fir (Abies magnifica) forest. Fruiting occurs in summer and fall.

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Threats

Too little is known regarding this species’ habitat preferences to comprehensively assess possible threats. However, the habitat it occurs in has endured prolonged droughts, and decades of fire suppression have drastically altered western montane forests, leading to thicker, denser, Abies dominated forests. As a result, hotter, stand replacing fires (rather than patchwork and understory burns) are commonplace, altering appropriate habitat drastically, and making it ill-suited for this species.

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Conservation Actions

Known sites should be protected from logging, development and other forms of disturbance, and should be managed to reduce fire intensity. Surveys for additional localties for this species are needed to better understand and describe its distribution, habitat preferences, and population size and trends.

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Use and Trade

No use/trade is known.

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Source and Citation

Mueller, G.M. & Siegel, N. 2025. Cortinarius velatus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2025: e.T273194450A273244576. Accessed on 20 November 2025.

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