Faded Pincertail vs Fly Agaric

Onychogomphus costae compared with Amanita muscaria

Key Differences

Faded Pincertail is Near Threatened while Fly Agaric is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Faded Pincertail	Fly Agaric
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)
Order	Odonata (Odonata)	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)
Family	Gomphidae	Agaricaceae (Agarics)
Genus	Onychogomphus	Amanita (Amanitas)
Species	Onychogomphus costae	Amanita muscaria

Conservation Status

Faded Pincertail

NT — Near Threatened

Fly Agaric

LC — Least Concern

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Faded Pincertail

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

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.