Fly Agaric vs Mérida Brocket

Amanita muscaria compared with Mazama bricenii

Key Differences

• Fly Agaric is Least Concern while Mérida Brocket is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Fly Agaric	Mérida Brocket
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)	Artiodactyla (Even-toed Ungulates)
Family	Agaricaceae (Agarics)	Cervidae (Deer)
Genus	Amanita (Amanitas)	Mazama
Species	Amanita muscaria	Mazama bricenii

Conservation Status

Fly Agaric

LC — Least Concern

Trend: Stable →

Mérida Brocket

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Fly Agaric	Mérida Brocket
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).

Mérida Brocket

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Found in Venezuela. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

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.