Splitpea Shanklet: Red Data Book of Armenia

Category. EN – Endangered.

Brief description. Cap is very small, 0,5 –1,5 cm across, extended, with small knob, white. Gills are narrow, white, adnexed to the stipe. Stipe is filamentous, short, appears from sclerotiums. Sclerotiums are large with light orange–yellow colouring. They appear on the remnants of dry fruit bodies of agaricoid fungi. Spore print is white. Spores are 4–5 x 2,5 µm, hyaline.

Distribution. Generally in Europe, Asia, Northern America, Southern Caucasus (Azerbaijan, Armenia). In Armenia it is found in Zangezur floristic region – on the road Goris–Shurnukh, in oak– hornbeam forests – on the fruit bodies and sclerotium of Pholiotina appendiculata fungus and in the coniferous forests of Goris surroundings – on the representatives of Agaricales.

Ecological, biological and phytocenological peculiarities. It has limited narrow areal. It is found in groups, on the remnants of the fruit bodies of cap fungi. It can also be found on the litter, on the soil, in the rotten or dry fruit bodies of cap fungi, in coniferous or broad–leaved woods on the altitude of 1200–1400 m above sea level in September. Saprotrophic fungi on litter, possibly on humus, or mycotrophic on the fruit bodies of cap fungi.

Main factors of endangering. Distribution in limited areas, intensive forest use, loss of habitats caused by uncontrolled felling.

Nature conservation measures. It is necessary to carry out monitoring of the population state.