Fly Agaric vs St. James' shell

Amanita muscaria compared with Pecten maximus

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Fly Agaric	St. James' shell
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Mollusca (Mollusks)
Class	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Bivalvia (Bivalvia)
Order	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)	Pectinida (Pectinida)
Family	Agaricaceae (Agarics)	Pectinidae
Genus	Amanita (Amanitas)	Pecten
Species	Amanita muscaria	Pecten maximus

Conservation Status

Fly Agaric

LC — Least Concern

Trend: Stable →

St. James' shell

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Fly Agaric	St. James' shell
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).

St. James' shell

Habitat

Native to Asia and Europe and South America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (China), Europe (8 countries), and South America (Chile).

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.

St. James' shell

St. James' shell (Pecten maximus) 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.