Assessment Notes

Justification

First discovered from Peninsular Malaysia, Cantharellus cerinoalbus has since been located in China, suggesting that it has a wide range. While there has been habitat loss within its range, it may have a degree of tolerance to habitat disturbance and the rate of habitat loss across its full potential range in Asia is tentatively suspected to not be great enough to qualify the species for a highly threatened category under criterion A (i.e. unlikely to be Critically Endangered or Endangered under worst-case scenarios). Therefore, C. cerinoalbus is assessed as Least Concern in the absence of any evidence to suggest that it should be in a higher category, but further surveying and research are strongly recommended.

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Geographic range

This species is known to occur within Malaysia, in disturbed primary dipterocarp forests (Eyssartier et al. 2009). Collections were made in Pahang, 60 km north of Kuala Lumpur, along highway E8, close to Lentang Forest Reserve, Bukit Tinggi at 184 m altitude, as well as at Pasoh Forest Reserve (Eyssartier et al. 2009). There have been subsequent records from the Luoxiaoshan Mountains of central China (Song et al. 2017) suggesting that it may be widespread across East Asia.

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Population and Trends

While there has been wide-ranging habitat loss in Southeast Asia (see World Resources Institute 2023), this species has been found from degraded forest, which suggests it may tolerate a degree of habitat disturbance, and its more recent discovery from China shows that the species may have a wide range and its population size could potentially be very large. A precautionary outlook is taken and it is suspected that the population may be in decline, but the overall rate of decline is uncertain, although unlikely to approach the thresholds for consideration as highly threatened under criterion A.

Population Trend: Decreasing

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Habitat and Ecology

In the type description it was noted that this species grows on the sand by rivers flowing through disturbed primary forests containing dipterocarps (Eyssartier et al. 2009).

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Threats

This species exists within disturbed Malaysian dipterocarp forest. This could suggest that it is at risk from habitat degradation, but simultaneously could indicate that it is able to tolerate a degree of habitat disturbance. Further research is required.

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Conservation Actions

Further research is required into the full distribution of this species to ascertain how widespread it is between the known occurrences. Such surveying and research can give a more detailed knowledge of its habitats and ecological requirements, and get a clearer idea of the impact of certain threats.

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Use and Trade

This is considered to be an edible species (Song et al. 2017, Azeem et al. 2020).

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Source and Citation

Westrip, J.R.S. & Liddle, T.A. 2025. Cantharellus cerinoalbus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2025: e.T223772940A270327675. Accessed on 24 November 2025.

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• Country occurrence