Hyphoderma etruriae

Hyphoderma etruriae is a rare resupinate species restricted to south Europe forming thin cream coloured patches in small hollows of trunks and bigger branches of old living juniper shrubs. It grows in few localities in Italy and Macedonia on Juniper excelsa, J. macrocarpa, J. phoenicea, and J. turbinata from the sea level up to 200 m of altitude. The habitats, coastal dunes (Code 2250), arborescent matorral (code 5210) (Natura2000) and the Macedonian forests with Juniperus excelsa, are in danger of disappearing. Moreover old juniper shrubs or trees, the preferred substrate for the growth of the fungus, are threatened and declining. It has been suggested that such Mediterranean veteran juniper habitat represents a glacial refugium and this habitat supports an entire suite of fungi with highly restricted distributions (Bernicchia et al. 2011). It is assessed as EN C2a(i), D