Atlantic Deep-sea Lobster vs Clustered Domecap

Acanthacaris caeca compared with Lyophyllum decastes

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Atlantic Deep-sea Lobster	Clustered Domecap
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class	Malacostraca (Crustaceans)	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)
Order	Decapoda (Decapoda)	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)
Family	Nephropidae	Lyophyllaceae
Genus	Acanthacaris	Lyophyllum
Species	Acanthacaris caeca	Lyophyllum decastes

Conservation Status

Atlantic Deep-sea Lobster

LC — Least Concern

Clustered Domecap

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Atlantic Deep-sea Lobster	Clustered Domecap
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Atlantic Deep-sea Lobster

Habitat

Typically found in marine, freshwater, and terrestrial environments.

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).

Atlantic Deep-sea Lobster

The Atlantic Deep-sea Lobster (Acanthacaris caeca) is a species in the genus Acanthacaris. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in marine, freshwater, and terrestrial environments.

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.