Bootlace worm vs Fly Agaric

Lineus longissimus compared with Amanita muscaria

Key Differences

• Bootlace worm is Not Evaluated while Fly Agaric is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Bootlace worm	Fly Agaric
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Nemertea (Nemertea)	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class	Pilidiophora (Pilidiophora)	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)
Order	Heteronemertea (Heteronemertea)	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)
Family	Lineidae	Agaricaceae (Agarics)
Genus	Lineus	Amanita (Amanitas)
Species	Lineus longissimus	Amanita muscaria

Conservation Status

Bootlace worm

NE — Not Evaluated

Fly Agaric

LC — Least Concern

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Bootlace worm	Fly Agaric
Diet	—	Decomposer
Average Lifespan	—	1 years
Average Length	—	20 cm
Average Weight	—	100 g

Habitat & Geographic Range

Bootlace worm

Habitat

Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

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).

Bootlace worm

The Bootlace worm (Lineus longissimus) is a species in the genus Lineus. Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

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 3 countries:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden