Fall Armyworm vs Fly Agaric

Spodoptera frugiperda compared with Amanita muscaria

Key Differences

• Fall Armyworm is Not Evaluated while Fly Agaric is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Fall Armyworm	Fly Agaric
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)
Order	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)
Family	Noctuidae	Agaricaceae (Agarics)
Genus	Spodoptera	Amanita (Amanitas)
Species	Spodoptera frugiperda	Amanita muscaria

Conservation Status

Fall Armyworm

NE — Not Evaluated

Fly Agaric

LC — Least Concern

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Fall Armyworm

Habitat

Inhabits flooded grasslands and savannas within the Afrotropic biogeographic realm.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (9 countries), Asia (Taiwan, Timor-Leste), Europe (Denmark), and North America (Canada, United States).

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).

Fly Agaric

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.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇺🇸 United States