Common Jelly Spot vs Common Pipistrelle

Dacrymyces stillatus compared with Pipistrellus pipistrellus

Key Differences

• Common Jelly Spot is Least Concern while Common Pipistrelle is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Jelly Spot	Common Pipistrelle
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Dacrymycetes (Dacrymycetes)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Dacrymycetales (Dacrymycetales)	Chiroptera (Bats)
Family	Dacrymycetaceae	Vespertilionidae
Genus	Dacrymyces	Pipistrellus
Species	Dacrymyces stillatus	Pipistrellus pipistrellus

Conservation Status

Common Jelly Spot

LC — Least Concern

Common Pipistrelle

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Jelly Spot	Common Pipistrelle
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common Jelly Spot

Habitat

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

Range

Found across Europe (5 countries) and North America (United States).

Common Pipistrelle

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Found across Europe (7 countries). Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Common Jelly Spot

<em>Dacrymyces stillatus</em>, commonly known as the common jelly spot, is a saprotrophic fungus in the family Dacrymycetaceae. It is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, with records from five European countries and North America. The species typically grows on damp, dead, or decaying wood, particularly coniferous timber, forming small, gelatinous, orange-yellow cushions or pustules on the substrate surface. As a saprotrophic wood-decay fungus, it contributes to nutrient cycling and the decomposition of woody material in temperate forest ecosystems. The bright gelatinous fruiting bodies make it a conspicuous species when encountered on wet wood in cool, humid conditions. Diet information for this species is not available in current records. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.

Common Pipistrelle

<em>Pipistrellus pipistrellus</em>, the common pipistrelle, is a small bat in the family Vespertilionidae and one of the most abundant and widespread bat species in Europe. It is typically one of the first bats to emerge at dusk, flying with rapid, jerky wingbeats as it pursues small flying insects over gardens, woodland edges, water bodies, and urban areas. The species roosts in crevices in buildings, bat boxes, and tree holes, often forming large maternity colonies in summer. <em>Pipistrellus pipistrellus</em> echolocates at a characteristic frequency of around 45 kHz, which allows it to be identified using bat detectors. It is distributed across Europe, with confirmed records from Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, and Portugal, among many other countries. The species is assessed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, reflecting population declines driven by loss of foraging habitat, reduction in insect prey biomass, disturbance of roost sites, and pesticide use. Biological traits such as average lifespan, body size, weight, and detailed dietary composition across its range remain poorly documented in the scientific literature, though the species is known to consume large numbers of small moths, midges, and other aerial insects each night.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 5 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇸🇪 Sweden