vs Globe Thistle

Comatricha elegans compared with Echinops exaltatus

Taxonomic Classification

Rank		Globe Thistle
Kingdom	Protozoa (protozoa)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Mycetozoa	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Myxomycetes (Myxomycetes)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Stemonitidales	Afrosoricida (Afrosoricida)
Family	Stemonitidaceae	Tenrecidae
Genus	Comatricha	Echinops
Species	Comatricha elegans	Echinops exaltatus

Conservation Status

NE — Not Evaluated

Globe Thistle

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute		Globe Thistle
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Habitat

Native to Asia and Europe and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (Belgium, Norway, Sweden), North America (United States), and South America (Brazil).

Globe Thistle

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Found across Europe (13 countries) and North America (Canada, United States).

Comatricha elegans is a delicate myxomycete forming slender, stalked, cylindrical sporangia with an intricate internal network of threads (capillitium) that aid spore dispersal. It grows on decaying wood and bark in humid forest environments worldwide. This species belongs to a group of slime moulds notable for their elegant fruiting body architecture and cosmopolitan distribution.