Bitter Waxcap vs Butter Waxcap

Hygrocybe mucronella compared with Hygrocybe ceracea

Key Differences

• Bitter Waxcap is Near Threatened while Butter Waxcap is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Bitter Waxcap	Butter Waxcap
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	Hygrophoraceae	Hygrophoraceae
Genus same	Hygrocybe	Hygrocybe
Species	Hygrocybe mucronella	Hygrocybe ceracea

Evolutionary Relationship

Bitter Waxcap and Butter Waxcap share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Hygrocybe.

Conservation Status

Bitter Waxcap

NT — Near Threatened

Butter Waxcap

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Bitter Waxcap	Butter Waxcap
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.

Butter Waxcap

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, 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.

Butter Waxcap

The Butter Waxcap (Hygrocybe ceracea) is a species in the genus Hygrocybe. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil ecosystems.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇸🇪 Sweden