Boletus regius
Boletus regius Krombh.
Boletaceae
Conservation status. Vulnerable [VU B1ab(iii)+2ab(iii)].
Morphology and biology. Cap up to 15 cm in diameter, hemispherical to convex, bright to dark pink or pinkish red. Stipe central, ovoid or clavate, bright or lemon yellow, with defined lemon yellow or yellowish network; surface unchanging when bruised. Flesh lemon yellow, unchanging or slightly blueing on air. Tubes and pores yellow, unchanging when bruised. Basidiospores 11.5–15.5 × 4–5 μm. Mycorhizal with oaks (Quercus) or beech (Fagus sylvatica).
Habitats and populations. Thinned light oak or beech forests, usually on limestone.
Distribution in Bulgaria. Black Sea Coast (Southern), Balkan Range, Znepole Region, Vitosha Region, Sredna Gora Mts (Western), Belasitsa Mt, Rhodopi Mts (Eastern), Thracian Lowland; up to 1000 m.
General distribution. Europe, North America.
Threats. Limited distribution, forest cutting, habitat loss and degradation due to intensive tourism and infrastructure development. Fruiting bodies do not appear every year and are often damaged by the parasitic fungus Sepedonium chrysospermum. Collected for food by mushroom pickers.
Conservation measures taken. Included in the Red List of Fungi in Bulgaria. One of the known localities is in Yankyovets Nature Monument. Some localities are in sites of the European ecological network Natura 2000 in Bulgaria.
Conservation measures needed. Sustainable management and conservation of the habitat and of the known locations; monitoring of the populations.
References. Kuthan & Kotlaba 1981; Engel et al. 1983; Muñoz 2005; Denchev & Assyov 2010.
Authors: Boris Assyov, Cvetomir M. Denchev
