Dark-Spored Puffball vs Eastern Mole

Lycoperdon atropurpureum compared with Scalopus aquaticus

Key Differences

• Dark-Spored Puffball is Endangered while Eastern Mole is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Dark-Spored Puffball	Eastern Mole
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)	Soricomorpha (Soricomorpha)
Family	Lycoperdaceae	Talpidae
Genus	Lycoperdon	Scalopus
Species	Lycoperdon atropurpureum	Scalopus aquaticus

Conservation Status

Dark-Spored Puffball

EN — Endangered

Eastern Mole

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Dark-Spored Puffball	Eastern Mole
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Dark-Spored Puffball

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, and United States. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Eastern Mole

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.