Bitter Waxcap vs Hotson’s Brush-tailed Mouse

Hygrocybe mucronella compared with Calomyscus hotsoni

Key Differences

• Bitter Waxcap is Near Threatened while Hotson’s Brush-tailed Mouse is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Bitter Waxcap	Hotson’s Brush-tailed Mouse
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)	Rodentia (Rodents)
Family	Hygrophoraceae	Calomyscidae
Genus	Hygrocybe	Calomyscus
Species	Hygrocybe mucronella	Calomyscus hotsoni

Conservation Status

Bitter Waxcap

NT — Near Threatened

Hotson’s Brush-tailed Mouse

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Bitter Waxcap	Hotson’s Brush-tailed Mouse
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.

Hotson’s Brush-tailed Mouse

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

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.