Scientific name

Meliola baileyi Hansf. [IndexFungorum. Index of Fungi 2: 192]

Synonyms

None noted.

Vernacular names

None known.

Taxonomic position

Meliolaceae, Meliolales, Sordariomycetes, Ascomycota, Fungi.

Red List assessment

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

Rationale

This evaluation is based on 28 records [breakdown: Cybernome (1 record); IndexFungorum (1 record); other catalogues (1 record)]. There are 13 records with dates, the earliest 1895 (the species was first described in 1953), the most recent 1976. Of dated records, 15% are post 1960. This species is recorded only from Australia. This fungus is known to occur in association with 6 other species belonging in 4 genera. This species appears to be an endemic of Australia, suggesting a limited distribution, but it is associated with more than one other genus, and an appreciable proportion of dated records were made after 1960, suggesting that an evaluation of 'Least Concern' 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. Australia (New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria). IUCN area statistics [km²] AOO EOO Pre-1961 24 874,159 1961-2000 8 insufficient data Post-2000 0 0 Associated organisms and substrata [IUCN Red List status, if known]. Plantae (part): Citrus australis Planch.; Eriostemon lanceolatum (leaf); Flindersia collina Bailey (leaf); Phebalium squamulosum (leaf); Phebalium squamulosum (leaf). Untraced or unverified: Phebalium squameum. 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 1953. There are 13 datable records of this species. The earliest is 1895 and the most recent is 1976. The profile of dated records is: pre-1961 (11); 1961-2000 (2); 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): Australia (22%) [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.