Common Ink Cap vs

Coprinopsis atramentaria compared with Coprinopsis pseudofriesii

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Ink Cap
Kingdom same	Fungi (Fungi)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum same	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class same	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)
Order same	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)
Family same	Psathyrellaceae	Psathyrellaceae
Genus same	Coprinopsis	Coprinopsis
Species	Coprinopsis atramentaria	Coprinopsis pseudofriesii

Evolutionary Relationship

Common Ink Cap and share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Coprinopsis.

Conservation Status

Common Ink Cap

LC — Least Concern

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Ink Cap
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common Ink Cap

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (4 countries), and North America (United States).

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

Common Ink Cap

<em>Coprinopsis atramentaria</em>, commonly known as the common ink cap, is a saprotrophic fungus in the family Psathyrellaceae. It is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, with a distribution spanning Asia (including Taiwan), Europe, and North America. The species typically grows on forest floors, buried wood, stumps, and other decomposing woody substrates in temperate regions. As a saprotroph, it plays an important ecological role in breaking down organic matter. The common ink cap is notable for containing coprine, a compound that inhibits aldehyde dehydrogenase and causes unpleasant reactions when consumed with alcohol. Diet information for this species is not available in current records. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.

Coprinopsis pseudofriesii is a small, inky cap mushroom related to the shaggy ink cap, with a pale grey cap that liquefies at maturity. It grows on richly organic soils, old compost, and near buried woody debris in temperate forests. This saprotrophic fungus decomposes organic matter and woody material in its forest soil habitat.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden