vs Four-toed Hedgehog

Comatricha nigra compared with Atelerix albiventris

Key Differences

• is Not Evaluated while Four-toed Hedgehog is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank		Four-toed Hedgehog
Kingdom	Protozoa (protozoa)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Mycetozoa	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Myxomycetes (Myxomycetes)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Stemonitidales	Erinaceomorpha (Erinaceomorpha)
Family	Stemonitidaceae	Erinaceidae
Genus	Comatricha	Atelerix
Species	Comatricha nigra	Atelerix albiventris

Conservation Status

NE — Not Evaluated

Four-toed Hedgehog

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute		Four-toed Hedgehog
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).

Four-toed Hedgehog

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Ecuador and Spain.

<em>Comatricha nigra</em> is among the more widely distributed species in the genus <em>Comatricha</em>, with documented records from Asia, Europe, North America, and South America. It belongs to the class Myxomycetes, order Stemonitidales, and is recognized by its dark, stalked sporangia with a distinctive capillitium. The species grows on decaying wood, bark, and moist plant debris in forest habitats across its broad geographic range. As with all plasmodial slime molds, <em>C. nigra</em> undergoes a life cycle that includes a motile plasmodial feeding stage and a reproductive sporangial stage. The feeding plasmodium consumes bacteria, fungal spores, and organic particles, playing a role in nutrient cycling and decomposition. The global distribution of <em>C. nigra</em> reflects the capacity of slime mold spores to disperse over long distances via wind currents. No quantitative biological metrics are recorded, and the species has not been assessed by the IUCN.