Arched Earthstar vs Miller’s Mastiff Bat

Geastrum fornicatum compared with Molossus pretiosus

Key Differences

• Arched Earthstar is Critically Endangered while Miller’s Mastiff Bat is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Arched Earthstar	Miller’s Mastiff Bat
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Geastrales (Geastrales)	Chiroptera (Bats)
Family	Geastraceae	Molossidae
Genus	Geastrum	Molossus
Species	Geastrum fornicatum	Molossus pretiosus

Conservation Status

Arched Earthstar

CR — Critically Endangered

Miller’s Mastiff Bat

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Arched Earthstar	Miller’s Mastiff Bat
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Arched Earthstar

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, among 6 distinct biome types spanning the Neotropic and Palearctic realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (4 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Brazil). Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Miller’s Mastiff Bat

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Colombia and Venezuela.

Arched Earthstar

The Arched Earthstar (Geastrum fornicatum) is a species in the genus Geastrum. It is currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, among 6 distinct biome types spanning the.