Fly Agaric vs Northern Emerald

Amanita muscaria compared with Somatochlora arctica

Key Differences

Fly Agaric is Least Concern while Northern Emerald is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Fly Agaric	Northern Emerald
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)	Odonata (Odonata)
Family	Agaricaceae (Agarics)	Corduliidae
Genus	Amanita (Amanitas)	Somatochlora
Species	Amanita muscaria	Somatochlora arctica

Conservation Status

Fly Agaric

LC — Least Concern

Trend: Stable →

Northern Emerald

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Fly Agaric	Northern Emerald
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 Emerald

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Ukraine. Currently classified as Endangered 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.

Northern Emerald

Northern Emerald (Somatochlora arctica) is classified as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List. At high risk of extinction in the wild, with significant population decline and ongoing threats to survival.