Assessment Notes

Justification

Gyroporus punctatus is a very rare ectomycorrhizal species known only from the south of Russian Far East and Japan. This unusual little bolete with a characteristic appearance is associated with Quercus and has been found only in mature broadleaved forests. At present, only five localities in Russia and seven in Japan are known. This species is threatened by the noticeable reduction in area of its natural habitats in recent years for several reasons (human impact, ongoing intensive forest cutting, drying caused by probably climate change).

The population size is estimated to be approx. 1,000 mature individuals, its habitat is under continuing decline and the largest subpopulation is containing less than 700 individuals. The species is thus assessed as Vulnerable under criterion D1 and C2a(i).

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Geographic range

Gyroporus punctatus is an East Asian species with a small area of distribution. It is known from Prymorsky Krai of the Russian Far East (Bulakh and Gorova 2000) and from Hokkaido, Ishikawa, Kyoto, Hyogo and Tottori in Japan (Nagasawa 2001, GBIF 2019). Its total area of occurrence is less than 35,000 km².

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Population and Trends

At present only known from 12 localities: five localities in Primorsky Krai (Russia), and seven localities in Japan. In Russia, this species is included in Red Data Book of Prymorsky Krai (2007) and because of this it has been specially monitored for about 15 years, but all the records along time are located in the same areas. It is therefore not likely to occur in many other localities. Regarding the distribution in Japan, there are 12 records from 1980 until 2015 which relate to the seven localities noted above.

The area of natural habitat has noticeably been reduced in recent years due to ongoing intensive forest cutting, and additionally a problem of oak drying from illness probably inter-related with climate warming. The total population is estimated to be 1,000 mature individuals (approx. a maximum of 100 locations/sites and a supposed low fragmentation of functional individual (Dahlberg and Mueller 2011)).

Population Trend: decreasing

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Habitat and Ecology

It is an ectomycorrhizal fungus associated with Quercus (e.g. Q. mongolica). It prefers mountain and submountain oak forests, sometimes in lowland. It is often found on the slope inside the forest on quite poor or mineral soils. It usually produces 1-2 fruitbodies per locality.

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Threats

The main threat is reduction of the oak forest area due to deforestation or drying of the oak trees, probably caused by environmental and climate changes.

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Conservation Actions

Establishment of new protected areas containing the known localities, preservation of oak forests, measures against oak drying.

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Use and Trade

The species is not used.

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Source and Citation

Svetasheva, T. & Bulakh, E. 2019. Gyroporus punctatus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019: e.T125434480A125435575. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-2.RLTS.T125434480A125435575.en .Accessed on 3 February 2024

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• Country occurrence