- Proposed
- Under Assessment
- Preliminary Assessed
- Assessed
- DDPublished
Meiorganum neocaledonicum R. Heim
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- Scientific name
- Meiorganum neocaledonicum
- Author
- R. Heim
- Common names
- IUCN Specialist Group
Mushroom, Bracket and Puffball- Kingdom
- Fungi
- Phylum
- Basidiomycota
- Class
- Agaricomycetes
- Order
- Boletales
- Family
- Paxillaceae
- Assessment status
- Published
- Assessment date
- 2019-07-25
- IUCN Red List Category
- DD
- Assessors
- Leonard, P.L.
- Reviewers
- Mueller, G.M.
Assessment Notes
The content on this page is fetched from The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/154529250/154529266
Justification
Meiorganum neocaledonicum is a large bracket fungus recorded from New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, and Malaysia. It has been collected from large fallen logs of Kauri trees, Agathis lanciolata in New Caledonia and another unspecified species of Agathis in other parts of its range. Given the potential area the species can inhabit (New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Malaysia) coupled with the very limited available data (eight records), it is not possible to make an estimate of its distribution, population size, or trends. However, species of Agathis, its host tree, are under threat and decline due to forestry activities, fire, and Kauri Dieback disease so the population of M. neocaledonicum may be in decline. It is therefore assessed as Data Deficient.Geographic range
Meiorganum neocaledonicum is a large bracket fungus recorded from New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, and Malaysia. It has been collected from large fallen logs of Kauri trees, Agathis lanciolata in New Caledonia an other unspecified species of Agathis in other parts of its range.Kauri trees have been harvested for their timber and the majority of the once huge Kauri forests are gone (Whitmore 1980). Forest clearing is still proceeding in all the states in which this fungus has been found. Worldwide it is estimated that less than 5% of the original Kauri forests remain. In New Zealand Kauri dieback disease is devastating the species in parts of its range. Agathis lanceolata the host in New Caledonia is IUCN listed as Vulnerable.
Population and Trends
The species is known for only 8 collections; PNG from a single record from 1995, New Caledonia from the three collections from 1964 and 1965 plus three recent records post 2010, and Malaysia from one record collected on Mt Kinabalu in Saba.
Given the potential area the species can inhabit coupled with the very limited available data (8 records), it is not possible to make an estimate of its distribution, population size, or trends. However, species of Agathis, its host tree, are under threat and decline due to forestry activities, fire, and Kauri Dieback disease so the population of M. neocaledonicum may be in decline.
Population Trend: unknown
Habitat and Ecology
Meiorganum neocaledonicum is a wood inhabiting fungus reported from three widely separated populations in the South Pacific: New Caledonia, North Queensland and Papua New Guinea. It is probably long lived with a generation length of 50 years or more and is associated with two, or possibly more, Kauri (Agathis) species. Agathis are relatively long lived trees, and its wood is slow to decay.Threats
Meiorganum neocaledonicum is only known to be associated with the coniferous genus Agathis which is restricted to the sub-tropical forests of the south western pacific. Kauri trees have been harvested for their timber and the majority of the once huge Kauri forests are gone (Whitmore 1980). Forest clearing is still proceeding in all the states in which this fungus has been found. Climate change is increasing the risk of fire to which the fungus and its host are vulnerable. In New Zealand Kauri dieback disease is negatively impacting Agathis. There is high risk that the disease will spread beyond its current range. Agathis lanceolata, the host in New Caledonia, is assessed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.Conservation Actions
Site management to control harvesting of the host tree and continued efforts to control the spread of Kauri Die Back disease.Better information on the species distribution and confirmation that the species is restricted to Kauri is needed.
