Dog's Mercury Rust vs Fly Agaric

Melampsora populnea compared with Amanita muscaria

Key Differences

Dog's Mercury Rust is Not Evaluated while Fly Agaric is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Dog's Mercury Rust	Fly Agaric
Kingdom same	Fungi (Fungi)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum same	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class	Pucciniomycetes (Pucciniomycetes)	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)
Order	Pucciniales (Pucciniales)	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)
Family	Melampsoraceae	Agaricaceae (Agarics)
Genus	Melampsora	Amanita (Amanitas)
Species	Melampsora populnea	Amanita muscaria

Evolutionary Relationship

Dog's Mercury Rust and Fly Agaric share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Basidiomycota. (Club Fungi)

View Phylum: Basidiomycota

Conservation Status

Dog's Mercury Rust

NE — Not Evaluated

Fly Agaric

LC — Least Concern

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Dog's Mercury Rust	Fly Agaric
Diet	—	Decomposer
Average Lifespan	—	1 years
Average Length	—	20 cm
Average Weight	—	100 g

Habitat & Geographic Range

Dog's Mercury Rust

Habitat

Native to Europe and South America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Found across Europe (6 countries) and South America (Brazil).

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.