- Proposed
- Under Assessment
- Preliminary Assessed
- Assessed
- NTPublished
Cantharellus stramineus De Kesel
- Scientific name
- Cantharellus stramineus
- Author
- De Kesel
- Common names
- IUCN Specialist Group
Mushroom, Bracket and Puffball- Kingdom
- Fungi
- Phylum
- Basidiomycota
- Class
- Agaricomycetes
- Order
- Cantharellales
- Family
- Hydnaceae
- Assessment status
- Published
- Assessment date
- 2021-03-02
- IUCN Red List Category
- NT
- IUCN Red List Criteria
- C2a(ii)
- Assessors
- James Westrip (IUCN Red List Unit)
- Reviewers
- Gregory Mueller (Chicago Botanic Garden / IUCN SSC Mushroom, Bracket and Puffball Specialist Group)
Assessment Notes
Justification
Cantharellus stramieus is currently only known from near Kisangwe in southern Democratic Republic of Congo, and it is thought to be scarce. Therefore, even when taking into account additional possible sites the population size could still be small. Very tentatively the population size is estimated at 3,000-30,000 mature individuals, but this is highly uncertain. The population is also suspected to be declining as a result of ongoing threats to miombo woodland. Given the high levels of uncertainty, it is difficult to come to a clear final Red List category. However, due to the apparent scarcity of the species, and the fact that it could be in decline, it is precautionarily assessed as Near Threatened C2a(ii).Geographic range
This species has only been recorded from a small area near Kisangwe in the south of Democratic Republic of Congo (De Kesel et al. 2016). However, it could be far more widespread, in line with the distribution of its host plant.Population and Trends
De Kesel et al. (2017) describe the species as ‘relatively rare’ in Haut-Katanga, and so it is possible that this species has a very small population size. Ongoing loss of miombo woodland is also thought to be leading to population declines. Assuming that each georeferenced site contains one functional individual, this would equate to 10 mature individuals per site (see Dahlberg and Mueller 2011). This would give 30 mature individuals. However, additional (as yet unknown) sites also need to be taken into account. There is a large amount of suitable habitat for the species throughout the miombo region, and so a large multiplier should be used in this instance; potentially up to a multiplier of 1,000 to 10,000, which would give a total population size of 3,000 to 30,000 mature individuals. Given the apparent scarcity of the species, though, this upper estimate could still be too large, but at the same time given the potential for a very wide distribution the estimate could be too low.
Population Trend: Decreasing
Habitat and Ecology
This species appears to be associated with Brachystegia wangermeeana (De Kesel et al. 2016), in miombo woodland. It can occur in areas where this tree is dominant, or where it is mixed with other Brachystegia species.Threats
There are ongoing threats to miombo woodland including logging, and land clearance for agriculture (see Jew et al. 2016). Mining could prove to be an additional threat.Conservation Actions
Collections have occurred within the Mikembo Sanctuary. Conservation actions should be undertaken to protect suitable habitat for this species, and engagement with local stakeholders should be conducted too.Further research is needed to ascertain the full distribution of the species, which will then enable more accurate estimates of the population size.