Fly Agaric vs Pale Clouded Yellow

Amanita muscaria compared with Colias hyale

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Fly Agaric	Pale Clouded Yellow
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Agaricaceae (Agarics)	Pieridae
Genus	Amanita (Amanitas)	Colias
Species	Amanita muscaria	Colias hyale

Conservation Status

Fly Agaric

LC — Least Concern

Trend: Stable →

Pale Clouded Yellow

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Fly Agaric	Pale Clouded Yellow
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).

Pale Clouded Yellow

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found across Europe (35 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.

Pale Clouded Yellow

Pale Clouded Yellow (Colias hyale) is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List. Widespread and abundant across its range, with stable populations and no immediate conservation concerns.