brittlestar vs Scaly Stalkball

Amphiura filiformis compared with Tulostoma melanocyclum

Key Differences

• brittlestar is Least Concern while Scaly Stalkball is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	brittlestar	Scaly Stalkball
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Echinodermata (Echinoderms)	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class	Ophiuroidea (Ophiuroidea)	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)
Order	Amphilepidida (Amphilepidida)	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)
Family	Amphiuridae	Agaricaceae (Agarics)
Genus	Amphiura	Tulostoma
Species	Amphiura filiformis	Tulostoma melanocyclum

Conservation Status

brittlestar

LC — Least Concern

Scaly Stalkball

CR — Critically Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	brittlestar	Scaly Stalkball
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

brittlestar

Habitat

Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

Scaly Stalkball

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

brittlestar

The Brittlestar (Amphiura filiformis) is a species in the genus Amphiura. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden