Assessment Notes

Justification

This species appears to be endemic to Madagascar. It appears to only be known from the type specimen, which was collected at the Natural Forest Reserve of Ambohitantely. It has been described as rare, and if the species is restricted to the type locality then it could possibly be at an extremely high risk of extinction. However, further surveys are required to gain a better understanding of the full range of the species, as the species could have a far wider range through central and eastern Madagascar. In the absence of these data this species is assessed as Data Deficient.

---

Geographic range

This species is only known from Madagascar. It appears to only be represented by the holotype, collected at the Natural Forest Reserve of Ambohitantely (Buyck et al. 2015).

---

Population and Trends

The species has been called ‘rare’ (Buyck et al. 2015), but there is no quantitative information currently available, and further information on the full range of the species is required before a population size estimate could be attempted.

Population Trend: Unknown

---

Habitat and Ecology

This species has only been recorded from the Central Highlands of Madagascar in the Natural Forest Reserve of Ambohitantely (Buyck et al. 2015). The holotype was collected on the soil in an area of dense forest, containing Leptolaena spp., Sarcolaena spp. and Uapaca densifolia (Buyck et al. 2015).

---

Threats

While the true full distribution of the species is unknown, as this species appears to be associated with humid forests then ongoing threats to this ecosystem in central and eastern Madagascar will probably represent the most severe threats to this species. These include land conversion for agriculture and logging.

---

Conservation Actions

Ensuring effective protection of the Natural Forest Reserve where it occurs is imperative given the current understanding of the species’ range. Further survey work is also required to gain a greater understanding of the full range of the species.

---

Use and Trade

There is no information on whether this species is used or traded.

---

Source and Citation

Westrip, J.R.S. 2025. Cantharellus ambohitantelyensis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2025: e.T189959003A269712560. Accessed on 23 November 2025.

---

• Country occurrence