vs Fly Agaric

Chroococcus cumulatus compared with Amanita muscaria

Key Differences

is Not Evaluated while Fly Agaric is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank		Fly Agaric
Kingdom	Bacteria (Bacteria)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Cyanobacteria (Cyanobacteria)	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class	Cyanobacteriia	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)
Order	Cyanobacteriales	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)
Family	Microcystaceae	Agaricaceae (Agarics)
Genus	Chroococcus	Amanita (Amanitas)
Species	Chroococcus cumulatus	Amanita muscaria

Conservation Status

NE — Not Evaluated

Fly Agaric

LC — Least Concern

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Habitat

Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across 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).

Chroococcus cumulatus is a cyanobacterium in the family Chroococcaceae, found in freshwater and semi-aquatic habitats. Members of the genus Chroococcus are among the simplest organized cyanobacteria, consisting of spherical cells that divide by binary fission to form pairs or tetrads held together within layered gelatinous sheaths. Cyanobacteria are cosmopolitan prokaryotes that carry out oxygenic photosynthesis using pigments including chlorophyll a, phycocyanin, and phycoerythrin. Chroococcus species occur in diverse aquatic habitats ranging from standing freshwater bodies to damp soil surfaces, rock faces, and tree bark in humid environments. The genus has historically been characterized primarily on the basis of cell size, sheath structure, and colony organization, though molecular analysis has increasingly revealed cryptic diversity within morphologically defined groups. Chroococcus cumulatus has been documented from northern European freshwater habitats. As a microscopic prokaryote, it has not been assessed by the IUCN, and its ecological role centers on primary production at the base of aquatic food webs in its habitat.

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.