- Proposed
- 2Under Assessment
- 3Preliminary Assessed
- 4Assessed
- 5Published
Butyriboletus primiregius D. Arora & J.L. Frank
- Scientific name
- Butyriboletus primiregius
- Author
- D. Arora & J.L. Frank
- Common names
- IUCN Specialist Group
Mushroom, Bracket and Puffball- Kingdom
- Fungi
- Phylum
- Basidiomycota
- Class
- Agaricomycetes
- Order
- Boletales
- Family
- Boletaceae
- Assessment status
- Proposed
- Proposed by
- Noah Siegel
- Comments etc.
- Noah Siegel
Assessment Notes
Taxonomic notes
For many years, this species was one of three western North American ‘cryptic’ species being called Boletus regius Krombholz (Thiers 1975, Arora 1986). Arora & Frank (2014) described the three species, and erected the genus Butyriboletus for the group of closely related ‘butter boletes’.
Why suggested for a Global Red List Assessment?
Butyriboletus primiregius is a locally common species in true fir forests of the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Range, also recorded from Idaho.
Population is widespread, and no decline has been observed. We recommend it should be listed as Least Concern (LC).
Geographic range
Common in the mid to high elevation forests of the Sierra Nevada and southern Cascade Range in California, USA, continuing north in the Cascade Range in Oregon, and reported from the mountains in Idaho.
Population and Trends
Population is widespread and appears stable; no decline has been noted.
Population Trend: Stable
Habitat and Ecology
Ectomycorrhizal, associated with Abies sp. especially White Fir (Abies concolor) and Red Fir (Abies magnifica) in mid to high elevation forests of the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Range, and rare reports from the Rocky Mountains in Idaho. Fruiting in spring and early summer.
Threats
Prolonged droughts and decades of fire suppression have drastically altered the high sierra forest, leading to thicker, denser, Abies dominated forest. As a result, hotter, stand replacing fires (rather than patchwork and understory burns) are commonplace, altering appropriate habitat drastically, and making it ill-suited for this species. However, due to the widespread nature of this species, overall threat to the population is likely minimal.
Conservation Actions
Fuels reduction in mid to high elevation Abies forests.
Research needed
More data on populations and trends of this species.
Use and Trade
This species is edible, and is often collected for food. Occasionally commercially harvested (especially in the Mount Shasta area of California), and sold under the name King Butter Bolete (Arora & Frank 2014).
Bibliography
Arora, D. 1986. Mushrooms Demystified. Ten Speed Press: Berkeley, CA. 959 p.
Arora, D. & Frank, J.L. 2014. Clarifying the butter Boletes: a new genus, Butyriboletus, is established to accommodate Boletus sect. Appendiculati, and six new species are described. Mycologia 106(3): 464-480.
Thiers, H.D. 1975. California Mushrooms—A Field Guide to the Boletes. Hafner Press: New York, NY. 261 p
