Dark-Spored Puffball vs Long-eared Hedgehog

Lycoperdon atropurpureum compared with Hemiechinus auritus

Key Differences

• Dark-Spored Puffball is Endangered while Long-eared Hedgehog is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Dark-Spored Puffball	Long-eared Hedgehog
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)	Erinaceomorpha (Erinaceomorpha)
Family	Lycoperdaceae	Erinaceidae
Genus	Lycoperdon	Hemiechinus
Species	Lycoperdon atropurpureum	Hemiechinus auritus

Conservation Status

Dark-Spored Puffball

EN — Endangered

Long-eared Hedgehog

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Dark-Spored Puffball	Long-eared Hedgehog
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.

Long-eared Hedgehog

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Cyprus, Spain, and Ukraine.