Clouded Agaric vs Coastal Flat-body

Clitocybe nebularis compared with Agonopterix yeatiana

Key Differences

Clouded Agaric is Least Concern while Coastal Flat-body is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Clouded Agaric	Coastal Flat-body
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Tricholomataceae	Depressariidae
Genus	Clitocybe	Agonopterix
Species	Clitocybe nebularis	Agonopterix yeatiana

Conservation Status

Clouded Agaric

LC — Least Concern

Coastal Flat-body

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Clouded Agaric	Coastal Flat-body
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Clouded Agaric

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Norway, Sweden, Taiwan, and United States.

Coastal Flat-body

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, and Sweden. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Clouded Agaric

The clouded agaric (Clitocybe nebularis, syn. Lepista nebularis) is a large, robust saprotrophic mushroom in the family Tricholomataceae found across temperate broadleaved and mixed forests of Europe and North America. It produces pale grey to buff fruiting bodies with broad, wavy caps up to 20 cm diameter, crowded, slightly decurrent gills, and a stout stipe, typically emerging in large fairy rings or scattered groups in autumn woodland settings. The common name 'clouded' refers to the greyish, misty coloration of the cap surface. Though historically eaten in parts of Europe and considered edible when thoroughly cooked, C. nebularis is now known to contain toxic compounds and a heat-labile gastrointestinal toxin that causes illness in some individuals, and it is associated with documented poisoning cases. Its strong mealy odor is distinctive. The species is widespread and common across European deciduous forests, fruiting reliably in autumn and forming an important component of the saprotrophic fungal community responsible for decomposing accumulated leaf litter and organic matter in temperate forest ecosystems.

Coastal Flat-body

Agonopterix yeatiana, the coastal flat-body, is a small moth in the family Depressariidae native to coastal and calcareous grassland habitats across western and northern Europe, with records from Belgium, Denmark, and Sweden. Moths in the family Depressariidae, commonly called flat-body moths due to the depressed posture they adopt when resting with wings held flat against the surface, are associated predominantly with umbellifer plants of the family Apiaceae as larval hosts. Agonopterix yeatiana larvae feed on wild carrot (Daucus carota), wild parsnip (Pastinaca sativa), and related coastal and grassland Apiaceae species, inhabiting the open, often calcareous or sandy habitats where these plants grow. Adult moths have greyish-brown forewing with a distinctive pattern of spots and dashes and reach approximately 8–12 millimeters in wingspan. The species is classified as Near Threatened by the IUCN, reflecting declines associated with the loss of traditional hay meadow management, coastal grassland degradation, and scrub encroachment that eliminates the open, flower-rich grassland habitats supporting its host plants. Agricultural intensification has reduced wild umbellifer populations significantly across lowland Europe, reducing food resources for larvae of specialist moths like A. yeatiana.