vs Long-tailed Ground Squirrel

Comatricha nigra compared with Urocitellus undulatus

Key Differences

• is Not Evaluated while Long-tailed Ground Squirrel is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank		Long-tailed Ground Squirrel
Kingdom	Protozoa (protozoa)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Mycetozoa	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Myxomycetes (Myxomycetes)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Stemonitidales	Rodentia (Rodents)
Family	Stemonitidaceae	Sciuridae (Squirrels)
Genus	Comatricha	Urocitellus
Species	Comatricha nigra	Urocitellus undulatus

Conservation Status

NE — Not Evaluated

Long-tailed Ground Squirrel

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute		Long-tailed Ground Squirrel
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).

Long-tailed Ground Squirrel

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

<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.