• Proposed
  • Under Assessment
  • Preliminary Assessed
  • VUAssessed
  • Published

Phaeocollybia benzokauffmanii Norvell

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Scientific name
Phaeocollybia benzokauffmanii
Author
Norvell
Common names
 
IUCN Specialist Group
Mushroom, Bracket and Puffball
Kingdom
Fungi
Phylum
Basidiomycota
Class
Agaricomycetes
Order
Agaricales
Family
Cortinariaceae
Assessment status
Published
Proposed by
Noah Siegel
Assessors
Gregory Mueller
Comments etc.
Noah Siegel, James Westrip

Assessment Notes

Justification

Phaeocollybia benzokauffmanii is known from disjunct populations from coastal Mendocino County, California, USA north into Washington State in the Coast Range and lower elevations of the Cascade Range in Oregon and Washington. Its population is widespread, but highly disjunct. This species appears to be restricted to mature and old growth forests, habitat which is now rare and fragmented and continuing to decline in both quality and geographic extent due to logging and increased fire frequency and intensity. It is unknown if this species is capable of colonizing and persisting in younger forests. Steel et al. (2023) calculated that over 30% of the conifer forests in the Southern Sierra Nevada Mountains transitioned to nonforest vegetation between 2011-2020 and that between 50%-85% of mature forests significantly declined in quality during this time.  Extrapolating these data to more northern California into Washington State yields a conservative estimate of a loss / decline of at least 30% of habitat for this species over the past three generations and continuing into the future.  It is assessed as Vulnerable A2c+3c+4c.


Taxonomic notes

A formerly cryptic species in the Phaeocollybia kauffmanii complex; until it was described by Norvell (2000), from Van Damme State Park, in Mendocino County, California, USA.

Before that Phaeocollybia benzokauffmanii was included in the concept of Phaeocollybia kauffmanii. Past collections have been examined and properly identified, and this species has been included in a recent guides (Desjardin et al. 2015, Siegel et al. 2019), so most current records are being correctly identified.


Why suggested for a Global Red List Assessment?

Phaeocollybia benzokauffmanii is an uncommon mushroom with a disjunct distribution on the northern California coast, and coast to western Cascades in Oregon and Washington.

This species appears to be restricted to mature and old growth forests. Suitable habitat is now rare and fragmented, continuing to decline in both quality and geographic extent.

There appears to be ~25 locations (Mycoportal 2021), although Norvell & Exeter (2008) referenced “~35 localities from northwestern California into northern Washington”.


Geographic range

Known from disjunct populations from coastal Mendocino County, California, USA north into Washington in the Coast Range and lower elevations of the Cascade Range in Oregon and Washington.


Population and Trends

Its population is widespread, but highly disjunct. This species appears to be restricted to mature and old growth forests. Suitable habitat is now rare and fragmented, continuing to decline in both quality and geographic extent due to logging and increased fire frequency and intensity. The scarcity of remnant old growth and mature forests in the Coast Range and Cascade foothills, and their fragmented condition are a major cause for concern; it is unknown if this species is capable of colonizing and persisting in younger forests.  Steel et al. 2023 calculated that over 30% of the conifer forests in the Southern Sierra Nevada Mountains transitioned to nonforest vegetation between 2011-2020 and that between 50%-85% of mature forests significantly declined in quality.  Extrapolating these data to more northern sections of forests in California into Washington State yields a conservative estimate of a loss / decline of at least 30% of habitat for this species over the past three generations and continuing into the future. 

 

Population Trend: Decreasing


Habitat and Ecology

Ectomycorrhizal with conifers, and possibly Tanoak (Notholithocarpus densiflorus), apparently restricted to late seral stage and old growth forests. Fruitbodies solitary or scattered in small patches, appearing in fall and early winter.

Temperate Forest

Threats

This is a ectomycorrhizal fungus species dependent on living host trees for viability. The major threat to this species and its co-occurring co-generic taxa is habitat destruction, via the logging of old-growth forests to which it appears confined too. The extent of old growth forest in the Pacific Northwest of North America has declined 90% in the last century (Society of American Foresters 1984, Haynes 1986).

Fire is also a big threat to this species’ populations. A stand replacing fire could severely degrade and/or diminish its current range.

Unintentional effects: large scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest]Increase in fire frequency/intensityDroughts

Conservation Actions

This species should be added to the United States Forest Service Northwest Forest Plan Survey and Manage list of rare/old growth forests dependent fungi.  Logging and machine clearing of understory vegetation should be limited in mature and old growth forest in areas where this species might occur.

Scale unspecified

Research needed

Continued surveys for existing populations. A better understanding of habitat restraints and requirements;  is it restricted to old growth?

Population size, distribution & trendsLife history & ecology

Use and Trade

None known.


Bibliography

Desjardin, D.E., Wood, M.G. and Stevens, F.A. 2015. California Mushrooms: The Comprehensive Identification Guide. Timber Press: Portland, OR. 560 p.

Haynes, T.W. 1986. Inventory and value of old-growth in the Douglas-fir region. PNW-RN 437. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, Portland, OR.

MyCoPortal. 2024. http://mycoportal.org/portal/index.php. Accessed on February 12.

Norvell, L.L. 2000. Phaeocollybia in Western North America 1: The Phaeocollybia kauffmanii complex. Canadian Journal of Botany. 78(8): 1055-1076.

Norvell, L.L. and Exeter, R.L. 2009. Phaeocollybia of Pacific Northwest North America. US Department of Interior, BLM: Salem, OR. 229 p.

Siegel, N., Vellinga, E.C., Schwarz, C., Castellano, M.A. and Ikeda, D. 2019. A Field Guide to the Rare Fungi of California’s National Forests. Bookmobile: Minneapolis, MN. 313 p.

Society of American Foresters. 1984. Scheduling the harvest of old growth : Old-growth forests in the Pacific Northwest : a position of the Society of American Foresters and Report of the SAF Task Force on Scheduling the Harvest of Old-Growth Timber. Bethesda, MD.

Steel, Zachary L., Gavin M. Jones, Brandon M. Collins, Rebecca Green, Alexander Koltunov, Kathryn L. Purcell, Sarah C. Sawyer, et al. 2023. “ Mega-Disturbances Cause Rapid Decline of Mature Conifer Forest Habitat in California.” Ecological Applications 33(2): e2763. https://doi.org/10.1002/eap.2763


Country occurrence

Regional Population and Trends

Country Trend Redlisted