Bitter Waxcap vs Brindled Plume

Hygrocybe mucronella compared with Amblyptilia punctidactyla

Key Differences

• Bitter Waxcap is Near Threatened while Brindled Plume is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Bitter Waxcap	Brindled Plume
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Hygrophoraceae	Pterophoridae
Genus	Hygrocybe	Amblyptilia
Species	Hygrocybe mucronella	Amblyptilia punctidactyla

Conservation Status

Bitter Waxcap

NT — Near Threatened

Brindled Plume

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Bitter Waxcap	Brindled Plume
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Bitter Waxcap

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, and Sweden. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Brindled Plume

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including temperate coniferous forests, montane grasslands and shrublands, and deserts and xeric shrublands within the Palearctic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Found across Asia (4 countries) and Europe (25 countries).

Bitter Waxcap

The Bitter Waxcap (Hygrocybe mucronella) is a species in the genus Hygrocybe. It is currently classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil ecosystems.

Brindled Plume

The Brindled Plume (Amblyptilia punctidactyla) is a species in the genus Amblyptilia. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Found across multiple habitat types including temperate coniferous forests, montane grasslands and shrublands, and deserts and xeric shrublands within the Palearctic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland en

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden