Common Tarcrust vs Little Ground Squirrel

Diatrype stigma compared with Spermophilus pygmaeus

Key Differences

• Common Tarcrust is Not Evaluated while Little Ground Squirrel is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Tarcrust	Little Ground Squirrel
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Sordariomycetes (Sordariomycetes)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Xylariales (Xylariales)	Rodentia (Rodents)
Family	Diatrypaceae	Sciuridae (Squirrels)
Genus	Diatrype	Spermophilus
Species	Diatrype stigma	Spermophilus pygmaeus

Conservation Status

Common Tarcrust

NE — Not Evaluated

Little Ground Squirrel

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Tarcrust	Little Ground Squirrel
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common Tarcrust

Habitat

Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, and Sweden.

Little Ground Squirrel

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Russia and Ukraine.

Common Tarcrust

<em>Diatrype stigma</em>, the common tarcrust, is a saprotrophic fungus in the family Diatrypaceae, found across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, and Sweden, as well as more broadly in Europe and temperate regions globally. It grows as a crust-like, charcoal-black stromata on the dead bark and branches of deciduous hardwoods, particularly hazel, beech, and alder. The fruiting bodies are typically flat to slightly raised, dark gray to black patches that contain numerous embedded perithecia in which ascospores are produced. This fungus plays an important ecological role as a decomposer, breaking down dead woody material and recycling nutrients in forest ecosystems. It is Not Evaluated on the IUCN Red List; given its broad distribution on common substrates, it is generally considered widespread. The species reproduces via wind-dispersed ascospores released from the perithecia. Diet, as a saprotrophic organism, consists of dead organic woody matter. Biological traits such as colony growth rates, spore output, and longevity remain poorly documented in standardized quantitative assessments.