Formerly known only from collections in high altitude forest in Yunnan province, China, Cantharellus zangii was recently merged with C. sikkimensis, increasing its range to include India and raising the likelihood that this species widespread throughout higher elevation forests in the region. With relatively little forest cover loss in such habitats over recent years the population is tentatively suspected to not approach the thresholds for consideration as threatened and so is assessed as Least Concern. However, further research would be useful.

Recently Cantharellus sikkimensis was synonymised with this species (Zhang et al. 2021).

Chanterelle species

The type specimen of this species was collected in China, at the Bitahai National Natural Reserve Shangri La, northwestern Yunnan province (Tian et al. 2012), with subsequent records from the same locality at an altitude of 3,850 m asl. (Zhang et al. 2021). Additional specimens of this species have been recorded at an altitude of 3,030 m asl. in ‘Big Ravine’, Shangri La and in the Haba Snowy Mountains, at an altitude of 3,000 m asl. (Tian et al. 2012).

Since the taxonomic lumping of Cantharellus sikkimensis with this species (Zhang et al. 2021) the mountainous habitat of Sikkim state in northern India (per Das et al. 2015) is now recognised as part of the range of C. zangii. Thus it is likely that this species may be more widespread amongst the suitable high altitude habitat in the region.

Across the potential range of the species there has been relatively little forest cover loss (World Resources Institute 2023), but there is not sufficient evidence to estimate an overall population trend. With plenty of suitable potential habitat across the region the population size is suspected to be large, and unlikely to approach the thresholds for consideration as threatened.

In China, this terrestrial species has been found either alone or in groups on the ground in subalpine (>3,000m) mixed forests dominated by Larix potaninii var. macrocarpa and Picea likiangensis (Tian et al. 2012), as well as growing in mixed and coniferous woodland under Abies georgei (=Abies forrestii var. georgei) and A. densa (Zhang et al. 2021). The collections made in Sikkim were noted from A. densa forest (Das et al. 2015).

While there may be localised impacts of logging and land clearance for agriculture (see e.g. the threats to Picea likiangensis; Rushforth and Farjon 2013), there has been relatively little forest cover loss in areas of suitable potential habitat in the wider region (see World Resources Institute 2023).

This species has been recorded from the Bitahai National Natural Reserve (Tian et al. 2012, Zhang et al. 2021).

Further research is needed to confirm its wild population’s distribution, in particular to investigate how widespread it may be throughout the mountainous parts of the region. This would also help to get a clearer idea of the population size and any specific plant associations. Work to investigate the potential impacts of climate change on this species may also be useful.