chestnut worm vs Fly Agaric

Lumbricus castaneus compared with Amanita muscaria

Key Differences

chestnut worm is Not Evaluated while Fly Agaric is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	chestnut worm	Fly Agaric
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Annelida (Segmented Worms)	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class	Clitellata (Clitellata)	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)
Order	Crassiclitellata (Crassiclitellata)	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)
Family	Lumbricidae	Agaricaceae (Agarics)
Genus	Lumbricus	Amanita (Amanitas)
Species	Lumbricus castaneus	Amanita muscaria

Conservation Status

chestnut worm

NE — Not Evaluated

Fly Agaric

LC — Least Concern

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

chestnut worm

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, 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).

chestnut worm

The chestnut worm (Lumbricus castaneus) is a species in the genus Lumbricus. Native to Europe and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

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.