Assessment Notes

Justification

Lactarius mediterraneensis is a rare Mediterranean ectomycorrhizal fungus growing in evergreen oak woods. Most observations come from eastern Spain and central-southern Italy but also with additional recent records in Algeria, Croatia, Greece and Türkiye. The total population size is estimated to consist of 10,000-15,000 mature individuals, split into several subpopulations, although with the majority of the population in Iberia-mainland France-mainland Italy. The population of L. mediterraneensis is inferred to be undergoing an ongoing decline due to declines in area and quality of its habitat. The conservation status of the main habitat of the L. mediterraneensis, Mediterranean Quercus ilex forests, is assessed as poor. The poor status is caused by wildfires, overgrazing, changes in land use and urbanization. Overall the species' area of occupancy is estimated to be < 2,000 km², but occurring at too many locations to warrant a threatened listing. Therefore, L. mediterraneensis approaches but does not meet the thresholds for listing under criterion B2, and is thus assessed as Near Threatened.

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Geographic range

Lactarius mediterraneensis is a fungus with a Mediterranean distribution (GBIF 2024). Its main distribution area species appears to be the Iberian Peninsula, Italy and France. Recent observations have extended its range to include Algeria (Benfriha et al. 2020) and the eastern reaches of the region, Croatia (A. Mešić pers. comm. 2024; not mapped), Greece (Kaounas et al. 2016, Triantafyllou unpublished data) and Türkiye (Doğan et al. 2021).

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Population and Trends

Lactarius mediterraneensis is an ectomycorrhizal fungus associating with Quercus, particulary Quercus ilex and more rarely with Q. coccifera in the eastern Mediterranean. The distribution of the sclerophyllous Querqus species in the Mediterranean region is significantly wider than the occurrence of L. mediterraneensis. The species appears to be relatively rare, with fewer than 200 records in GBIF (2024), bibliographic records, and unpublished materials. Its has only infrequently been recorded despite efforts of amateur mycologists and numerous mycological diversity studies in sclerophyllous Quercus ecosystems. Even in its two main regions, eastern Spain and Tuscany, its distribution and frequency is unclear (Á. Ponce pers. comm. 2023) and it is reported as rare (Clericuzio et al. 2022).

The conservation status of the main habitat of the species Mediterranean Quercus ilex forests is assessed as unfavourable – inadequate poor (BISE 2024). The distribution of this habitat largely overlaps with the presence of L. mediterraneensis in Spain. It is thought that the decline of and reduction in habitat quality, directly causes a population reduction in L. mediterraneensis.

The total population is estimated to consist of no more than approximately 500 localities, each with a few genets which sums up to approximately 10,000-15,000 mature individuals (per Dahlberg and Mueller, 2011). The population is assessed to be undergoing an ongoing decline due to habitat and habitat quality declines. The habitat decline is caused by wildfires, overgrazing, changes in land use and urbanization.

Population Trend: Decreasing

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Habitat and Ecology

Lactarius mediterraneensis is an ectomycorrhizal species growing in association mostly with Quercus ilex (Basso 1999, Vila et al. 1996). In Algeria the species was found in a mixed Quercus ilex and Q. faginea forest (Benfriha et al. 2020). In Greece, L. mediterraneensis was found in association with Q. coccifera (Kaounas et al. 2016, Triantafyllou unpublished data) which is more common and widely distributed in the eastern Mediterranean region than Q. ilex. The same pattern is followed by L. atlanticus, another Mediterranean species growing in association with sclerophyllous Quercus species (Triantafyllou et al. 2015). It appears to be associated with more humid areas in the Mediterranean and to calcareous soils.

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Threats

The main known pressures on this species are habitat degradation and loss due to fires (for many different reasons e.g. not good forest management and control of "anti fire zones"), overgrazing, the combination of fire followed up by overgrazing, changes in land use and other human activities such as new wind turbine areas and new traffic connections and to a lesser extent, logging.

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Conservation Actions

Protection of sites and measurements to avoid wildfires are needed. Studies on the habitat preference of the species are also needed to clearly understand its ecology.

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Use and Trade

The species is not known to be used.

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Source and Citation

Perini, C., Theodorou, O. & Triantafyllou, M. 2025. Lactarius mediterraneensis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2025: e.T227002803A273191318. Accessed on 20 November 2025.

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• Country occurrence