This species is known to be distributed throughout the tropical and subtropical belt of the mountains in central and south Yunnan Province, China. This species has been found growing under Pinus and Castanopsis species. There is plenty of suitable habitat within the potential range of the species, and so it is highly likely to occur at many additional sites, and could hold more than one genet per site. Taking these factors into account a population size of 8,000-20,000 mature individuals, all within one subpopulation, has been estimated based on the methods of Dahlberg and Mueller (2011). This estimate is at the border of Vulnerable/Near Threatened under criterion C. Further investigation to support this estimate would be beneficial, though.

There is ongoing forest cover loss within its range, and this is suspected to be causing an ongoing population decline, but using this to accurately calculate a rate of population change is not possible at this time. Thus, with a suspected decline not all of the conditions are met for a listing as threatened, and indeed it would only be at the lower end of the population estimate that the population size could even qualify for consideration as Vulnerable under criterion C. However, still taking a precautionary outlook, Cantharellus phloginus is assessed as Near Threatened under criterion C2a(ii).

Chanterelle species

The type of this species was collected from Puer city, in Yunnan, China, at an altitude of 1,500m (Shao et al. 2016). The species is known to occur within the tropical or subtropical belt of the mountains in central and south of Yunnan Province (Shao et al. 2016). Additional specimens of this species have been located in Yunnan at Chuxiong, at an altitude of 1,773m, in Xishuangbanna, at an altitude of 523m, and in Simao at an altitude of 1,500m (Shao et al. 2016).

Based on collecting localities noted in the type description, it has been reported from four separate sites (see Shao et al. 2016). A separate collection from Puer city was made from a mushroom market (Zhang et al. 2022), suggesting either collection from one of these sites, or that it is more widespread and more commonly encountered than at just these sites. The latter is assumed here. If each individual were to only hold one genet, then there would be 10 mature individuals per site (see Dahlberg and Mueller 2011). With a large amount of suitable forest habitat within the mapped range then, at a minimum, a scaling factor of 200 could be used to take into account additional sites, giving a total minimum population size of 8,000 mature individuals. This is likely to be an underestimate, as there could be more than one genet per site and a scaling factor of 250 to take into account additional sites is precautionary. Taking into account these other unknowns, could tentatively give a maximum population size of 20,000 mature individuals within the currently mapped range.

Global Forest Watch (World Resources Institute 2023) data shows a decrease in forest cover within the species’ range, and so at the very least a continuing decline in the population may be suspected.

This species has been found growing in small clumps under Pinus species and Castanopsis species.

Global Forest Watch (World Resources Institute 2023) data shows a decrease in forest cover within the species’ range, and so at the very least a continuing decline in the population may be suspected. The drivers of such forest cover declines are likely to include clearance for settlement growth (especially as the species has been collected from Puer city) and associated agriculture. Logging could also be a threat to the species’ habitat, as it has been noted for Pinus species (potential hosts) within this species’ range (see Farjon 2013).

Further research into this species’ habitat preferences, potential threats, and distribution is needed. Monitoring of the impacts of collection and trade of this species may be useful, to ascertain whether its harvesting may have any impact on the overall population trend.

This species is edible (Yu et al. 2020), and is traded, having been collected from a mushroom market (Zhang et al. 2022).