Conservation status of New Zealand indigenous lichens and lichenicolous fungi, 2018

Abstract

The conservation status of all known New Zealand lichen and lichenicolous fungus taxa was reassessed using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS). The names of 176 taxa have changed, 233 taxa have been added to the list and 10 have been removed from it since the 2010 assessment, making a total of 2026 taxa listed in this report. Assessments have been completed for 91 taxa that were previously Data Deficient. Of these, 1 was assessed as Threatened – Nationally Critical, 82 were At Risk – Naturally Uncommon and 8 Not Threatened. However, 19 taxa that were previously assessed At Risk – Naturally Uncommon or Not Threatened are now assessed as Data Deficient. Of the newly added taxa, 211 are also assessed as Data Deficient. Other changes include 8 taxa that were previously assessed as Naturally Uncommon, which now have a worse status: 1 Threatened – Nationally Endangered, 2 Threatened – Nationally Vulnerable, and 5 At Risk – Declining. Of 9 taxa that were previously assessed as Not Threatened, 2 are now Declining and 8 are now Naturally Uncommon. An improved status has been assessed for 7 taxa: 2 that were previously assessed as Nationally Endangered are now Nationally Vulnerable, and 5 that were previously Naturally Uncommon are now Not Threatened. The majority of the lichenised mycobiota indigenous to New Zealand remain poorly known. However, the need for further biosystematic investigation is hampered by the lack of New Zealand lichen expertise. A full list of New Zealand’s lichenised mycobiota (as of August 2018) is presented, along with a statistical summary and brief notes on the most important changes. This list replaces all previous NZTCS lists for lichens.