American Toad vs Common Tarcrust

Anaxyrus americanus compared with Diatrype stigma

Key Differences

• American Toad is Least Concern while Common Tarcrust is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	American Toad	Common Tarcrust
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)
Class	Amphibia (Amphibians)	Sordariomycetes (Sordariomycetes)
Order	Anura (Frogs & Toads)	Xylariales (Xylariales)
Family	Bufonidae	Diatrypaceae
Genus	Anaxyrus	Diatrype
Species	Anaxyrus americanus	Diatrype stigma

Conservation Status

American Toad

LC — Least Concern

Common Tarcrust

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	American Toad	Common Tarcrust
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

American Toad

Habitat

Typically found in freshwater habitats, moist forests, and wetlands.

Range

Found in United States.

Common Tarcrust

Habitat

Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, and Sweden.

American Toad

The American Toad (Anaxyrus americanus) is a species in the genus Anaxyrus. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in freshwater habitats, moist forests, and wetlands.

Common Tarcrust

<em>Diatrype stigma</em>, the common tarcrust, is a saprotrophic fungus in the family Diatrypaceae, found across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, and Sweden, as well as more broadly in Europe and temperate regions globally. It grows as a crust-like, charcoal-black stromata on the dead bark and branches of deciduous hardwoods, particularly hazel, beech, and alder. The fruiting bodies are typically flat to slightly raised, dark gray to black patches that contain numerous embedded perithecia in which ascospores are produced. This fungus plays an important ecological role as a decomposer, breaking down dead woody material and recycling nutrients in forest ecosystems. It is Not Evaluated on the IUCN Red List; given its broad distribution on common substrates, it is generally considered widespread. The species reproduces via wind-dispersed ascospores released from the perithecia. Diet, as a saprotrophic organism, consists of dead organic woody matter. Biological traits such as colony growth rates, spore output, and longevity remain poorly documented in standardized quantitative assessments.