Dark-Spored Puffball vs Large-eared Mountain Vole

Lycoperdon atropurpureum compared with Alticola macrotis

Key Differences

• Dark-Spored Puffball is Endangered while Large-eared Mountain Vole is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Dark-Spored Puffball	Large-eared Mountain Vole
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)	Rodentia (Rodents)
Family	Lycoperdaceae	Cricetidae
Genus	Lycoperdon	Alticola
Species	Lycoperdon atropurpureum	Alticola macrotis

Conservation Status

Dark-Spored Puffball

EN — Endangered

Large-eared Mountain Vole

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Dark-Spored Puffball	Large-eared Mountain Vole
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.

Large-eared Mountain Vole

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.