Boletus parasiticus
Boletus parasiticus Bull. : Fr.
Boletaceae
Conservation status. Critically Endangered [CR B1ab(iii)+2ab(iii)].
Morphology and biology. Fruit-bodies single or in groups. Cap up to 5 cm in diameter, hemispherical to convex, yellow-brown to brown. Stipe cylindrical or tapering, concolorous with the cap, without network, surface unchanging when bruised. Flesh yellowish or whitish, unchanging when exposed to air. Tubes and pores yellow, unchanging when bruised. Basidiospores 11–21 ´ 3.5–5 μm. Parasitic on fruit-bodies of fungi of genus Scleroderma.
Habitats and populations. Various types of woodlands and scrub. Known from a single locality and not found after 1975.
Distribution in Bulgaria. Black Sea Coast (Southern – Primorsko); up to 100 m.
General distribution. Throughout Europe, N Africa, North America.
Threats. Habitat loss and degradation due to intensive tourism and infrastructure development. Fruit-bodies are susceptible to the parasitic fungus Sepedonium chrysospermum.
Conservation measures taken. Included in the Red List of Fungi in Bulgaria.
Conservation measures needed. Sustainable management and conservation of the habitat and of the known localities; survey and monitoring of the area of occupancy, the status of the populations and the threats.
References. Kuthan & Kotlaba 1989; Engel et al. 1996; Ladurner & Simonini 2003; Denchev & Assyov 2010.
Authors: Boris Assyov & Cvetomir M. Denchev
