Abstract

Battarrea phalloides, a conspicuous mushroom-forming fungus with worldwide but scattered distribution in xeric habitats, has a relatively recent history of records in Chile, with most locations in the arid north of the country. Recent findings of the species in central Chile, particularly in the Larger Santiago area, indicate its possible expansion towards higher latitudes. An update of the regional map of B. phalloides which includes records obtained from social media and common use databases, suggests a possible temporal and spatial correlation between the observed expansion and the regional climate phenomenon known as megadrought.