vs Common Fieldcap

Chrysococcus minutus compared with Agrocybe pediades

Key Differences

is Not Evaluated while Common Fieldcap is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank		Common Fieldcap
Kingdom	Chromista (Chromista)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Ochrophyta (Ochrophyta)	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class	Chrysophyceae (Chrysophyceae)	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)
Order	Chromulinales (Chromulinales)	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)
Family	Dinobryaceae	Strophariaceae
Genus	Chrysococcus	Agrocybe
Species	Chrysococcus minutus	Agrocybe pediades

Conservation Status

NE — Not Evaluated

Common Fieldcap

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute		Common Fieldcap
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Habitat

Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

Common Fieldcap

Habitat

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

Range

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

Chrysococcus minutus is a small loricate chrysophyte alga in the genus Chrysococcus, its epithet minutus (Latin: minute or very small) reflecting its diminutive cell dimensions. Like its congeners, the cell is enclosed within a lorica — a rigid, often silicified or organic housing with an apical pore through which the flagellum protrudes. The lorica shape and dimensions provide taxonomic characters for species differentiation within the genus. C. minutus inhabits freshwater environments, including oligotrophic lakes, bog pools, and slow-moving waters in temperate and subarctic regions. Chrysophytes thrive in cold, acidic, low-nutrient waters and serve as reliable bioindicators of water quality. The small cell size of C. minutus places it within the nanoplankton size class, making it an important prey item for heterotrophic nanoflagellates and small ciliates in the freshwater microbial food web. Some Chrysococcus species supplement photosynthesis with bacterivorous feeding. The species has not been evaluated for conservation status and is listed as Not Evaluated by the IUCN. Loricated chrysophytes like C. minutus leave fossil siliceous cysts (stomatocysts) in lake sediments, which are widely used in paleoecological reconstructions.

Common Fieldcap

The Common Fieldcap (<em>Agrocybe pediades</em>) is a saprotrophic fungus belonging to the genus Agrocybe within the family Strophariaceae. It typically produces small, tan to pale brown cap-shaped fruiting bodies and is often found growing in clusters or scattered on lawns, grassy areas, forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil-rich ecosystems. The species typically inhabits forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil ecosystems, obtaining nutrients by breaking down dead organic matter. Its geographic range includes several European countries — Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, and Sweden — as well as the United States in North America. <em>Agrocybe pediades</em> is assessed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, reflecting its broad distribution and apparent stability. Biological traits of this species, including specific data on fruiting body size, lifespan, and ecological preferences, remain poorly documented in the scientific literature. Like other members of its genus, it typically fruits during warmer months and often appears after rainfall in nutrient-rich grassland and woodland habitats.