Cerevisterol is widely distributed in the fungal kingdom. In the division Basidiomycota, it occurs in several members of the fungal family Boletaceae, the edible mushrooms Cantharellus cibarius, Volvariella volvacea, Pleurotus sajor-caju, Laetiporus sulphureus, and Suillus luteus, in the milk mushroom Lactarius hatsudake, and the coral fungus Ramaria botrytis. In the division Ascomycota, it has been reported in Auricularia polytricha, Bulgaria inquinans, Engleromyces goetzei, Acremonium luzulae, and Pencillium herquei, as well as the lichens Ramalina hierrensis and Stereocaulon azoreum. It has also been found in the endophytes Alternaria brassicicola, Fusarium oxysporum, and a strain of Gliocladium, and the deep-sea fungus Aspergillus sydowi. In 2013, the sterol was reported in the South China Sea gorgonian coral Muriceoopsis flavida. A 9-hydroxylated analogue of cerevisterol was found in R. botrytis. A modified version of the compound, (22E, 24R)-cerevisterol, has been reported from the coral Subergorgia mollis. It was shown to be moderately cytotoxic to embryos of the zebrafish Danio rerio.