Fly Agaric vs

Amanita muscaria compared with Gomphonema utae

Key Differences

Fly Agaric is Least Concern while is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Fly Agaric
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Chromista (Chromista)
Phylum	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Ochrophyta (Ochrophyta)
Class	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Bacillariophyceae (Bacillariophyceae)
Order	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)	Cymbellales (Cymbellales)
Family	Agaricaceae (Agarics)	Gomphonemataceae
Genus	Amanita (Amanitas)	Gomphonema
Species	Amanita muscaria	Gomphonema utae

Conservation Status

Fly Agaric

LC — Least Concern

Trend: Stable →

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

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).

Habitat

Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Norway and Sweden.

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.

Gomphonema utae is a freshwater pennate diatom in the family Gomphonemataceae with a characteristic asymmetric, clavate frustule that tapers toward the foot-pole where it attaches via a mucilage pad or stalk. It is found in epilithic and epiphytic communities in streams and lakes across temperate regions. The species contributes to biofilm formation and serves as a bioindicator of water quality.