Black Falsebolete
Boletopsis leucomelaena
Boletopsis leucomelaena is a species of hydnoid fungus in the family Bankeraceae. The fungus is listed as a priority species in the United Kingdom Biodiversity Action Plan.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC) via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boletopsis_leucomelaena
Taxonomy & Classification
Kingdom
Fungi
Phylum
Basidiomycota
Class
Agaricomycetes
Order
Thelephorales
Family
Bankeraceae
Genus
Boletopsis
Black Falsebolete belongs to the family Bankeraceae, order Thelephorales, within the Agaricomycetes class.
Species Profile
Boletopsis leucomelaena is a species of hydnoid fungus in the family Bankeraceae. The fungus is listed as a priority species in the United Kingdom Biodiversity Action Plan. B. leucomelaena is found in the Pacific Northwest region of North America, in Japan, and throughout Europe, although it is less common than the lookalike B. grisea.
The Black Falsebolete faces severe decline primarily due to habitat loss from deforestation and forest fragmentation in its limited range. As a specialized fungus dependent on specific forest ecosystems and host relationships, it is extremely vulnerable to environmental changes and has very restricted distribution making populations fragile.
Key Facts
Habitat & Distribution
Boletopsis leucomelaena favours relatively rich habitats, being found characteristically in spruce-dominated forests. In Finland, it occurs primarily in two forest types: spruce-dominated grass-herb forests (with intermixed birch, aspen, hazel and other deciduous trees and shrubs) and moist heath forests dominated by Norway spruce. The former habitat type features a ground layer with demanding...
Threats
IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered
The Black Falsebolete faces severe decline primarily due to habitat loss from deforestation and forest fragmentation in its limited range. As a specialized fungus dependent on specific forest ecosystems and host relationships, it is extremely vulnerable to environmental changes and has very restricted distribution making populations fragile.
Forest fragmentation
Habitat loss and deforestation
Limited geographic range
Climate change impacts on forest ecosystems
Disruption of mycorrhizal relationships
Community Sightings
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Sources & Attribution
How to Cite
IUCN: IUCN (2025). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2025-1. Available at: https://www.iucnredlist.org. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2025-1.RLTS
GBIF: GBIF.org (2025). GBIF Home Page. Available at: https://www.gbif.org
This page: SpeciesRadar (2025). Black Falsebolete (Boletopsis leucomelaena). SpeciesRadar: Intelligence for Earth's Biodiversity. Available at: https://speciesradar.org/species/black-falsebolete