Collared Mosscap vs Highveld Golden Mole

Rickenella swartzii compared with Amblysomus septentrionalis

Key Differences

• Collared Mosscap is Least Concern while Highveld Golden Mole is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Collared Mosscap	Highveld Golden Mole
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Hymenochaetales (Hymenochaetales)	Afrosoricida (Afrosoricida)
Family	Rickenellaceae	Chrysochloridae
Genus	Rickenella	Amblysomus
Species	Rickenella swartzii	Amblysomus septentrionalis

Conservation Status

Collared Mosscap

LC — Least Concern

Highveld Golden Mole

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Collared Mosscap	Highveld Golden Mole
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Collared Mosscap

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

Highveld Golden Mole

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Collared Mosscap

The Collared Mosscap, known scientifically as <em>Rickenella swartzii</em>, is a small fungus belonging to the family Repetobasidiaceae within the order Agaricales. <em>Rickenella swartzii</em> is characterised by its diminutive fruiting bodies, which typically feature a small, convex to umbilicate cap and a slender stipe. The species typically grows in mossy substrates, on forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil, where it plays a role in nutrient cycling as a saprotrophic or potentially mycorrhizal organism. It is reported to occur in Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, reflecting a distribution across parts of northern Europe. Detailed biological traits including typical lifespan measures and physical dimensions are poorly documented for this fungal species in available literature. The Collared Mosscap is currently assessed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, indicating that it is not considered to be at significant risk of global population decline.