Brown Diving Beetle vs Clustered Domecap

Agabus brunneus compared with Lyophyllum decastes

Key Differences

Brown Diving Beetle is Extinct while Clustered Domecap is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Brown Diving Beetle	Clustered Domecap
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)
Order	Coleoptera (Beetles)	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)
Family	Dytiscidae	Lyophyllaceae
Genus	Agabus	Lyophyllum
Species	Agabus brunneus	Lyophyllum decastes

Conservation Status

Brown Diving Beetle

EX — Extinct

Clustered Domecap

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Brown Diving Beetle	Clustered Domecap
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Brown Diving Beetle

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium and Sweden.

Clustered Domecap

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (5 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Brazil, Chile).

Brown Diving Beetle

The Brown Diving Beetle (Agabus brunneus) is a species in the genus Agabus. It is currently classified as Extinct on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Clustered Domecap

Lyophyllum decastes, the clustered domecap or fried chicken mushroom, is a robust saprotrophic or possibly mycorrhizal basidiomycete in the family Lyophyllaceae that produces large, densely clustered fruiting bodies at the base of dead hardwoods, stumps, or from buried wood and woody debris. The caps are grey-brown to tan, broadly convex to domed, often with wavy margins in crowded clusters. Gills are white to pallid, crowded, and sinuate. It is distributed across the northern hemisphere in broadleaf and mixed forests. L. decastes is edible and considered a choice food mushroom in parts of Europe and Japan, where its firm texture and mild flavor have earned it the English nickname 'fried chicken mushroom.' However, definitive identification requires care, as it can be confused with toxic lookalikes. Molecular studies have revealed that the concept of L. decastes may encompass multiple species or a species complex. The species is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN and is commonly encountered in autumn in temperate woodlands, parks, and roadsides across its wide range.