Bighead Inkcap vs Common Ink Cap

Coprinopsis macrocephala compared with Coprinopsis atramentaria

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Bighead Inkcap	Common Ink Cap
Kingdom same	Fungi (Fungi)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum same	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class same	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)
Order same	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)
Family same	Psathyrellaceae	Psathyrellaceae
Genus same	Coprinopsis	Coprinopsis
Species	Coprinopsis macrocephala	Coprinopsis atramentaria

Evolutionary Relationship

Bighead Inkcap and Common Ink Cap share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Coprinopsis.

Conservation Status

Bighead Inkcap

LC — Least Concern

Common Ink Cap

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Bighead Inkcap	Common Ink Cap
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Bighead Inkcap

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

Common Ink Cap

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (4 countries), and North America (United States).

Bighead Inkcap

The Bighead Inkcap (Coprinopsis macrocephala) is a species in the genus Coprinopsis. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil ecosystems.

Common Ink Cap

<em>Coprinopsis atramentaria</em>, commonly known as the common ink cap, is a saprotrophic fungus in the family Psathyrellaceae. It is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, with a distribution spanning Asia (including Taiwan), Europe, and North America. The species typically grows on forest floors, buried wood, stumps, and other decomposing woody substrates in temperate regions. As a saprotroph, it plays an important ecological role in breaking down organic matter. The common ink cap is notable for containing coprine, a compound that inhibits aldehyde dehydrogenase and causes unpleasant reactions when consumed with alcohol. Diet information for this species is not available in current records. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden