Fly Agaric vs

Amanita muscaria compared with Nitzschia intermedia

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)	Bacillariales (Bacillariales)
Family	Agaricaceae (Agarics)	Bacillariaceae
Genus	Amanita (Amanitas)	Nitzschia
Species	Amanita muscaria	Nitzschia intermedia

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 Asia and Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Norway, Portugal, Sweden, and Taiwan.

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.

Nitzschia intermedia is a pennate diatom in the family Bacillariaceae found in freshwater to slightly brackish habitats, where it inhabits both benthic and planktonic niches. Its elongate frustule with a keeled raphe and fine transapical striae is typical of the large genus Nitzschia. It serves as a bioindicator of moderate organic enrichment and nutrient levels in aquatic monitoring programs.