Guidelines for the Selection of Biological Heritage Sites
7. Section 2: Species Guidelines
7.3 FUNGI
Application (all fungi guidelines)
The production of visible fruiting bodies, by means of which most fungi are identified, may be irregular and is influenced by many environmental factors. Moreover, the distribution of fungi in Lancashire is imperfectly known in many cases, and the species lists given below should be regarded as tentative. They include species recorded since 1950, those species not known to have been recorded since 1977 being shown with an asterisk. Whilst the general rule of post-1987 records only being eligible should be borne in mind, consideration may be given to sites where relevant records have been made between 1978 and 1986 where it appears that no gross habitat change has occurred which would have been likely to result in the loss of the species concerned.
Fu1 Any site which supports a fungus species included in the Red Data List of British Fungi.(1)
Application
Those Red Data List species which have been recorded since 1950 in Lancashire include:
ASCOMYCETES
Geoglossum barlae
Microglossum olivaceum
BASIDIOMYCETES
Aphyllophorales
Clavaria corbierei
Clavaria guilleminii
Clavaria purpurea
Clavaria zollingeri
Clavicorona taxophila
Clavulinopsis microspora
Clavulinopsis umbrinella
Hydnellum concrescens
Phellodon confluens
Phellodon melaleucus
Ramaria broomei
Ramaria palmata
Ramaria subbotrytis
Ramariopsis biformis
Ramariopsis crocea
Ramariopsis pulchella
Ramariopsis tenuiramosa
Agaricales
Amanita friabilis
Cortinarius auroturbinatus
Cortinarius caesiocyaneus
Cortinarius olidus
Cortinarius porphyropus
Cortinarius sodagnitus
Cortinarius subfulgens
Entoloma bloxamii
Hygrocybe calyptraeformis
Hygrophorus melizeus
Inocybe calospora
Inocybe fibrosa
Leptonia rosea
Melanoleuca subpulverulenta
Tricholoma atrosquemosum
Justification
A relatively large number of fungi are regarded as being a risk in a national context, mainly because of woodland and grassland habitat loss or change, or because of atmospheric pollution.
Fu2 Any site which supports a 'nationally scarce' fungus species.
Application
All sites for fungus species in this category should be included. A list of species to which this guideline applies is not yet available.
Justification
'Nationally scarce' species occur 16 to 100 10km squares (inclusive) in Britain; there is a national responsibility for their conservation.
Fu3 Any site which supports a fungus species which is recorded from 3 or fewer localities in Lancashire.
Application
A list of species to which this guideline applies is not yet available. However, the following two species, previously considered to be lichens, are included:
Stenocybe pullatula
Stenocybe septata
Justification
Subject to further localities for these species being discovered, they may provisionally be regarded as `endangered in a County context.
* last recorded between 1950-1977.