Cinnabar Webcap vs Yellow Webcap

Cortinarius cinnabarinus compared with Cortinarius delibutus

Key Differences

• Cinnabar Webcap is Vulnerable while Yellow Webcap is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Cinnabar Webcap	Yellow Webcap
Kingdom same	Fungi (Fungi)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum same	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class same	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)
Order same	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)
Family same	Cortinariaceae	Cortinariaceae
Genus same	Cortinarius	Cortinarius
Species	Cortinarius cinnabarinus	Cortinarius delibutus

Evolutionary Relationship

Cinnabar Webcap and Yellow Webcap share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Cortinarius.

Conservation Status

Cinnabar Webcap

VU — Vulnerable

Yellow Webcap

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Cinnabar Webcap	Yellow Webcap
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Cinnabar Webcap

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Taiwan. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Yellow Webcap

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

Cinnabar Webcap

Cinnabar webcap (Cortinarius cinnabarinus) is a brightly colored mushroom in the family Cortinariaceae, found in deciduous and mixed woodland across Europe. It produces vivid cinnabar-red to orange-red fruiting bodies with a conical to broadly convex cap, red gills that turn cinnamon-brown with age, and a red stipe with a cobwebby cortina (partial veil) characteristic of the genus Cortinarius. The species grows in mycorrhizal association with broadleaf trees, particularly beech (Fagus) and oak (Quercus), fruiting in late summer and autumn. The cinnabar webcap is classified as Vulnerable in European red lists, reflecting population declines associated with loss of mycorrhizal host trees, changes in forest management, soil acidification, and nitrogen deposition. The genus Cortinarius is the largest genus of agaric fungi in the Northern Hemisphere, with thousands of species, many of which are poorly studied. Like other webcaps, Cortinarius cinnabarinus is inedible and some Cortinarius species are highly toxic. Its striking red coloration is unusual within the genus and makes it relatively easy to identify in the field. Conservation of old-growth and mature beech forest in Europe is critical for sustaining populations of this and many other mycorrhizal fungi. Ectomycorrhizal fungi like webcaps provide essential nutrient exchange services to forest trees.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden