Asian house shrew vs Clustered Domecap

Suncus murinus compared with Lyophyllum decastes

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Asian house shrew	Clustered Domecap
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)
Order	Soricomorpha (Soricomorpha)	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)
Family	Soricidae	Lyophyllaceae
Genus	Suncus	Lyophyllum
Species	Suncus murinus	Lyophyllum decastes

Conservation Status

Asian house shrew

LC — Least Concern

Clustered Domecap

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Asian house shrew	Clustered Domecap
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Asian house shrew

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, and flooded grasslands and savannas, among 8 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (4 countries), Asia (8 countries), Europe (Russia), and Oceania and the Pacific (Marshall Islands).

Clustered Domecap

Habitat

Typically found in forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil ecosystems.

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (5 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Brazil, Chile).

Asian house shrew

The Asian house shrew (Suncus murinus) is a species in the genus Suncus. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, and flooded grasslands and savannas, among 8 distinct biome types. Populations are also found. Widely distributed across Africa (4 countries), Asia (8 countries), Europe (Russia), and Oceania and the Pacific (Marshall Islands).

Clustered Domecap

Lyophyllum decastes, the clustered domecap or fried chicken mushroom, is a robust saprotrophic or possibly mycorrhizal basidiomycete in the family Lyophyllaceae that produces large, densely clustered fruiting bodies at the base of dead hardwoods, stumps, or from buried wood and woody debris. The caps are grey-brown to tan, broadly convex to domed, often with wavy margins in crowded clusters. Gills are white to pallid, crowded, and sinuate. It is distributed across the northern hemisphere in broadleaf and mixed forests. L. decastes is edible and considered a choice food mushroom in parts of Europe and Japan, where its firm texture and mild flavor have earned it the English nickname 'fried chicken mushroom.' However, definitive identification requires care, as it can be confused with toxic lookalikes. Molecular studies have revealed that the concept of L. decastes may encompass multiple species or a species complex. The species is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN and is commonly encountered in autumn in temperate woodlands, parks, and roadsides across its wide range.