Dark Pincertail vs Fly Agaric

Onychogomphus assimilis compared with Amanita muscaria

Key Differences

Dark Pincertail is Vulnerable while Fly Agaric is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Dark Pincertail	Fly Agaric
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)
Order	Odonata (Odonata)	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)
Family	Gomphidae	Agaricaceae (Agarics)
Genus	Onychogomphus	Amanita (Amanitas)
Species	Onychogomphus assimilis	Amanita muscaria

Conservation Status

Dark Pincertail

VU — Vulnerable

Fly Agaric

LC — Least Concern

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Dark Pincertail	Fly Agaric
Diet	—	Decomposer
Average Lifespan	—	1 years
Average Length	—	20 cm
Average Weight	—	100 g

Habitat & Geographic Range

Dark Pincertail

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Fly Agaric

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (4 countries), North America (United States), Oceania and the Pacific (New Zealand), and South America (Brazil, Chile, Colombia).

Among the most iconic and recognizable fungi on Earth, fly agaric mushrooms display striking red caps with white flecked warts across boreal forests of the Northern Hemisphere. Despite their fairy-tale appearance, they contain potent psychoactive compounds including muscimol and ibotenic acid and are moderately toxic. They form critical mycorrhizal symbioses with birch, pine, and spruce trees, exchanging mineral nutrients for carbon and playing essential roles in boreal forest nutrient cycling.