Scientific name

Meliola buxi Cif. [IndexFungorum. Petrak's Lists 8: 58]

Synonyms

None noted.

Vernacular names

None known.

Taxonomic position

Meliolaceae, Meliolales, Sordariomycetes, Ascomycota, Fungi.

Red List assessment

Data Deficient [possibly Vulnerable] [IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria: version 3.1. Level: global].

Rationale

This evaluation is based on 21 records [breakdown: Cybernome (1 record); IndexFungorum (1 record); other catalogues (1 record)]. There are 7 records with dates, the earliest 1930 (the species was first described in 1938), the most recent 1986. Of dated records, 14% are post 1960. This species is recorded from 2 countries in a single continent or region. The fungus is known only in association with Buxus glomerata. This species is known from more than one country, but associated with only one other species. There are few records and only a small proportion were made after 1960, suggesting that an evaluation of 'Vulnerable' might be appropriate.

Reasons for change from previous assessment

None: not previously assessed.

Date of assessment

29 November 2025.

Name/s of the assessor/s

D.W. Minter

Text documentation

Taxonomy. No comment. Geographical distribution. Cuba (Guantánamo); Dominican Republic (Samaná). IUCN area statistics [km²] AOO EOO Pre-1961 20 1,715 1961-2000 4 insufficient data Post-2000 0 0 Associated organisms and substrata [IUCN Red List status, if known]. Plantae (part): Buxus glomerata Müll. Arg. (leaf); Buxus sp. (leaf). Habitat and ecology. Threats. Climate change. Not known. Habitat destruction. Not known. Persecution. Not known. Pollution. Not known. Population. Not known. With no direct information, observation frequency over time, if available, can be considered as a proxy to infer current population trend; for species associated with trees, loss of woodland cover over time is another possible proxy. Observation frequency over time. The species was first described in 1938. There are 7 datable records of this species. The earliest is 1930 and the most recent is 1986. The profile of dated records is: pre-1961 (6); 1961-2000 (1); post-2000 (0). Observations have declined sharply. Loss of tree cover over time. This species occurs associated with trees in the following countries (percentage loss of tree cover between 2001 and 2024 in brackets): Dominican Republic (15%) [figures from 'Forest change' tab of Global Forest Watch]. Current trend (inferred). Long-term steep decline possibly driven by habitat destruction. The small number of datable records makes this inference very uncertain. Conservation actions (in situ). None known. Conservation actions (ex situ). Culture collections. Straininfo: check current status. Genome banks. European Nucleotide Archive: check current status; NCBI: check current status. Economic impacts (positive). Bioremediation. None known. Biotechnology. None known. Cultural. None known. Ecosystem services. None known. Feed (animals). None known. Food (human). None known. Medical/veterinary. None known. Economic impacts (negative). Biodeterioration. None known. Disease. None known. Invasiveness. None known.