Brook Floater vs Common Jelly Spot

Alasmidonta varicosa compared with Dacrymyces stillatus

Key Differences

Brook Floater is Vulnerable while Common Jelly Spot is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Brook Floater	Common Jelly Spot
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Mollusca (Mollusks)	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class	Bivalvia (Bivalvia)	Dacrymycetes (Dacrymycetes)
Order	Unionida (Unionida)	Dacrymycetales (Dacrymycetales)
Family	Unionidae	Dacrymycetaceae
Genus	Alasmidonta	Dacrymyces
Species	Alasmidonta varicosa	Dacrymyces stillatus

Conservation Status

Brook Floater

VU — Vulnerable

Common Jelly Spot

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Brook Floater	Common Jelly Spot
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Brook Floater

Habitat

Native to North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Found in United States. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Common Jelly Spot

Habitat

Native to Europe and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Found across Europe (5 countries) and North America (United States).

Brook Floater

The Brook Floater (Alasmidonta varicosa) is a species in the genus Alasmidonta. It is currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Native to North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Common Jelly Spot

<em>Dacrymyces stillatus</em>, commonly known as the common jelly spot, is a saprotrophic fungus in the family Dacrymycetaceae. It is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, with records from five European countries and North America. The species typically grows on damp, dead, or decaying wood, particularly coniferous timber, forming small, gelatinous, orange-yellow cushions or pustules on the substrate surface. As a saprotrophic wood-decay fungus, it contributes to nutrient cycling and the decomposition of woody material in temperate forest ecosystems. The bright gelatinous fruiting bodies make it a conspicuous species when encountered on wet wood in cool, humid conditions. Diet information for this species is not available in current records. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.