Durham slug vs Fly Agaric

Arion flagellus compared with Amanita muscaria

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Durham slug	Fly Agaric
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Mollusca (Mollusks)	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class	Gastropoda (Gastropoda)	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)
Order	Stylommatophora (Stylommatophora)	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)
Family	Arionidae	Agaricaceae (Agarics)
Genus	Arion	Amanita (Amanitas)
Species	Arion flagellus	Amanita muscaria

Conservation Status

Durham slug

LC — Least Concern

Fly Agaric

LC — Least Concern

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Durham slug

Habitat

Typically found in terrestrial and aquatic habitats including forests and freshwater.

Range

Found across Africa (South Africa) and Europe (6 countries).

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.