Fly Agaric vs Northern Dusky Slug

Amanita muscaria compared with Arion fuscus

Key Differences

• Fly Agaric is Least Concern while Northern Dusky Slug is Data Deficient.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Fly Agaric	Northern Dusky Slug
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Mollusca (Mollusks)
Class	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Gastropoda (Gastropoda)
Order	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)	Stylommatophora (Stylommatophora)
Family	Agaricaceae (Agarics)	Arionidae
Genus	Amanita (Amanitas)	Arion
Species	Amanita muscaria	Arion fuscus

Conservation Status

Fly Agaric

LC — Least Concern

Trend: Stable →

Northern Dusky Slug

DD — Data Deficient

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Fly Agaric	Northern Dusky Slug
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).

Northern Dusky Slug

Habitat

Typically found in terrestrial and aquatic habitats including forests and freshwater.

Range

Found across Europe (7 countries).

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 3 countries:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden