Bitter Waxcap vs Peale’s Free-tailed Bat

Hygrocybe mucronella compared with Nyctinomops aurispinosus

Key Differences

• Bitter Waxcap is Near Threatened while Peale’s Free-tailed Bat is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Bitter Waxcap	Peale’s Free-tailed Bat
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)	Chiroptera (Bats)
Family	Hygrophoraceae	Molossidae
Genus	Hygrocybe	Nyctinomops
Species	Hygrocybe mucronella	Nyctinomops aurispinosus

Conservation Status

Bitter Waxcap

NT — Near Threatened

Peale’s Free-tailed Bat

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Bitter Waxcap	Peale’s Free-tailed Bat
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.

Peale’s Free-tailed Bat

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Colombia and Venezuela.

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.