Bitter Waxcap vs Brown Cobblestone Lichen

Hygrocybe mucronella compared with Acarospora fuscata

Key Differences

• Bitter Waxcap is Near Threatened while Brown Cobblestone Lichen is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Bitter Waxcap	Brown Cobblestone Lichen
Kingdom same	Fungi (Fungi)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)
Class	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Lecanoromycetes (Lecanoromycetes)
Order	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)	Acarosporales (Acarosporales)
Family	Hygrophoraceae	Acarosporaceae
Genus	Hygrocybe	Acarospora
Species	Hygrocybe mucronella	Acarospora fuscata

Evolutionary Relationship

Bitter Waxcap and Brown Cobblestone Lichen share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Fungi. (Fungi)

Conservation Status

Bitter Waxcap

NT — Near Threatened

Brown Cobblestone Lichen

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Bitter Waxcap	Brown Cobblestone Lichen
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.

Brown Cobblestone Lichen

Habitat

Native to Europe and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Norway, Portugal, and United States.

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.

Brown Cobblestone Lichen

The Brown Cobblestone Lichen (Acarospora fuscata) is a species in the genus Acarospora. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Native to Europe and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇹 Portugal