Black-Staining Polypore vs Fly Agaric

Meripilus sumstinei compared with Amanita muscaria

Key Differences

• Black-Staining Polypore is Not Evaluated while Fly Agaric is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Black-Staining Polypore	Fly Agaric
Kingdom same	Fungi (Fungi)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum same	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class same	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)
Order	Polyporales (Polyporales)	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)
Family	Meripilaceae	Agaricaceae (Agarics)
Genus	Meripilus	Amanita (Amanitas)
Species	Meripilus sumstinei	Amanita muscaria

Evolutionary Relationship

Black-Staining Polypore and Fly Agaric share a common ancestor at the Class level: Agaricomycetes. (Mushrooms)

Conservation Status

Black-Staining Polypore

NE — Not Evaluated

Fly Agaric

LC — Least Concern

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Black-Staining Polypore	Fly Agaric
Diet	—	Decomposer
Average Lifespan	—	1 years
Average Length	—	20 cm
Average Weight	—	100 g

Habitat & Geographic Range

Black-Staining Polypore

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Norway and United States.

Fly Agaric

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (4 countries), North America (United States), Oceania and the Pacific (New Zealand), and South America (Brazil, Chile, Colombia).

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.

Fly Agaric

Among the most iconic and recognizable fungi on Earth, fly agaric mushrooms display striking red caps with white flecked warts across boreal forests of the Northern Hemisphere. Despite their fairy-tale appearance, they contain potent psychoactive compounds including muscimol and ibotenic acid and are moderately toxic. They form critical mycorrhizal symbioses with birch, pine, and spruce trees, exchanging mineral nutrients for carbon and playing essential roles in boreal forest nutrient cycling.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway 🇺🇸 United States