vs Desmarest’s Spiny Pocket Mouse

Clitopilus passeckerianus compared with Heteromys desmarestianus

Key Differences

• is Not Evaluated while Desmarest’s Spiny Pocket Mouse is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank		Desmarest’s Spiny Pocket Mouse
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)	Rodentia (Rodents)
Family	Entolomataceae	Heteromyidae
Genus	Clitopilus	Heteromys
Species	Clitopilus passeckerianus	Heteromys desmarestianus

Conservation Status

NE — Not Evaluated

Desmarest’s Spiny Pocket Mouse

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute		Desmarest’s Spiny Pocket Mouse
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Norway and Sweden.

Desmarest’s Spiny Pocket Mouse

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Found in Colombia.

Clitopilus passeckerianus is a white-rot agaric fungus in the family Entolomataceae notable for its role as a natural producer of pleuromutilin, a diterpenoid antibiotic compound that serves as the biosynthetic precursor for the veterinary and human antibiotic drugs tiamulin and valnemulin, used to treat Mycoplasma infections in livestock. First described from European woodland habitats, the species produces the characteristic Clitopilus fruiting body: a pale, whitish cap with decurrent, crowded gills becoming pinkish at maturity from angular spores, and a farinaceous odor. Its antibiotic-producing capacity makes C. passeckerianus of significant pharmaceutical interest, and biosynthetic studies of pleuromutilin production have informed synthetic chemistry approaches to antibiotic development. The species inhabits temperate deciduous woodland floors in Europe, fruiting in autumn among leaf litter. Discovery of its pleuromutilin biosynthetic pathway has opened avenues for heterologous expression and semi-synthetic modification aimed at developing novel antibiotics to counter antibiotic-resistant bacterial pathogens.