Black-Staining Polypore vs Comet Darner

Meripilus sumstinei compared with Anax longipes

Key Differences

Black-Staining Polypore is Not Evaluated while Comet Darner is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Black-Staining Polypore	Comet Darner
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Polyporales (Polyporales)	Odonata (Odonata)
Family	Meripilaceae	Aeshnidae
Genus	Meripilus	Anax
Species	Meripilus sumstinei	Anax longipes

Conservation Status

Black-Staining Polypore

NE — Not Evaluated

Comet Darner

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Black-Staining Polypore	Comet Darner
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Black-Staining Polypore

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Norway and United States.

Comet Darner

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found in United States.

Black-Staining Polypore

The Black-Staining Polypore (Meripilus sumstinei) is a species in the genus Meripilus. Typically found in forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil ecosystems.

<em>Anax longipes</em>, the comet darner, is a large dragonfly in the family Aeshnidae, assessed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. It is endemic to the United States, where it inhabits lakes, ponds, and slow-moving rivers with clear water and abundant emergent vegetation. The comet darner is one of the largest North American dragonflies and is distinguished by its brilliant coloration, including a green thorax and a red-spotted abdomen in mature males. The species name longipes refers to its notably long legs. Adults are powerful aerial predators, feeding on a variety of flying insects captured in flight. Larvae are aquatic and predatory, developing in the benthic zone of freshwater habitats where they feed on invertebrates and small vertebrates. The comet darner undertakes seasonal dispersal movements and is most commonly observed near its breeding water bodies during the warmer months.