- Proposed
- Under Assessment
- 3Preliminary Assessed
- 4Assessed
- 5Published
Cortinarius sierraensis (Ammirati) Ammirati, Niskanen & Liimat.
- Scientific name
- Cortinarius sierraensis
- Author
- (Ammirati) Ammirati, Niskanen & Liimat.
- Common names
- IUCN Specialist Group
Mushroom, Bracket and Puffball- Kingdom
- Fungi
- Phylum
- Basidiomycota
- Class
- Agaricomycetes
- Order
- Agaricales
- Family
- Cortinariaceae
- Assessment status
- Under Assessment
- Proposed by
- Noah Siegel
- Assessors
- Noah Siegel
- Comments etc.
- Shannon Adams, James Westrip, Michael Wood
Assessment Notes
Justification
A small to medium-sized mushroom with an orange-brown to reddish-orange cap, bright to deep red gills, and rusty orange spores. It grows with Lodgepole Pine (Pinus contorta ssp. murrayana) in summer and fall.
Rare; only known from four locations in higher elevation Lodgepole Pine forests in the Sierra Nevada mountains, often near lakes, streams or other water sources.
Taxonomic notes
First described as Dermocybe sierraensis (Ammirati, 1989), it was later transferred to the gunus Cortinarius (Niskanen et al. 2013).
Why suggested for a Global Red List Assessment?
A small to medium-sized mushroom with an orange-brown to reddish-orange cap, bright to deep red gills, and rusty orange spores. It grows with Lodgepole Pine (Pinus contorta ssp. murrayana) in summer and fall.
Rare; only known from four locations in higher elevation Lodgepole Pine forests in the Sierra Nevada mountains, often near lakes, streams or other water sources.
Geographic range
Known from four sites in the southern and central Sierra Nevada in California, USA
Population and Trends
Currently known from four locations, two of which are historic. Populations are from high elevation Lodgepole Pine (Pinus contorta ssp. murrayana) forests near water sources.
Population Trend: Uncertain
Habitat and Ecology
Ectomycorrhizal. Fruitbodies scattered, growing from duff and soil under Lodgepole Pine (Pinus contorta ssp. murrayana). Only known from four locations in higher elevation Lodgepole Pine forests in the Sierra Nevada mountains, often near lakes, streams or other water sources. Fruiting in summer and early fall.
Threats
Too little is known regarding this species’ distribution and particular habitat preferences to properly assess possible threats. Mountain pine beetle outbreaks, leading to large scale dieback in Lodgepole Pine forest are likely detrimental to this species. Cortinarius sierraensis would likely be indiscriminately collected if found by dyers.
Conservation Actions
Protect known populations from logging, development and other disturbance.
Research needed
Targeted surveys of suitable habitat to assess presences or absents of this species.
Use and Trade
Closely related species of Cortinarius are highly prized dye fungi. Cortinarius sierraensis would likely be collected if found by dyers.
Bibliography
Ammirati, J.F. 1989. Dermocybe, subgenus Dermocybe, section Sanguineae in Northern California. Mycotaxon 34: 21–36.
Niskanen, T., K. Liimatainen, J.F. Ammirati & K. Hughes. 2013. Cortinarius section Sanguinei in North America. Mycologia 105: 344–356.
Wood, M. & F. Stevens. 2017. Mykoweb, Fungi of California. http://mykoweb.com/CAF/species/Cortinarius_sierraensis.html
