Pleurotus rickii
Pleurotus rickii. Photo: Felipe Bittencourt.
Pleurotus rickii is an edible species, found growing on decaying wood. It is considered rare, as it just has 10 registers distributed throughout southern Brazil, in Atlantic Forest areas, and in the Yungas, in Argentina. It is expected that the species also occurs in the Humid Chaco in Argentina and Paraguay. The Atlantic Forest and the Yungas are considered biodiversity and conservation hotspots, and despite that, are threatened by deforestation, human occupation, and climate change. Based on the threats to the species population and its habitat, is estimated a decline in the number of mature individuals of at least 5% in the next 15 years, making P. rickii Near Threatened based on the IUCN assessment criteria.
P. rickii distribution map. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/196135756/196846415
References
- Bittencourt, F., Kossmann, T., Martins da Cunha, K., Drechsler-Santos, E. & Menolli, N. 2021. Pleurotus rickii. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T196135756A196846415. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T196135756A196846415.en. Downloaded on 05 May 2021.
