vs Lesser Pencil-tailed Tree Mouse

Hydnellum compactum compared with Chiropodomys pusillus

Key Differences

• is Vulnerable while Lesser Pencil-tailed Tree Mouse is Data Deficient.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank		Lesser Pencil-tailed Tree Mouse
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Thelephorales (Thelephorales)	Rodentia (Rodents)
Family	Bankeraceae	Muridae (Mice & Rats)
Genus	Hydnellum	Chiropodomys
Species	Hydnellum compactum	Chiropodomys pusillus

Conservation Status

VU — Vulnerable

Lesser Pencil-tailed Tree Mouse

DD — Data Deficient

Physical Characteristics

Attribute		Lesser Pencil-tailed Tree Mouse
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Habitat

Typically found in forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Norway, and Sweden. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Lesser Pencil-tailed Tree Mouse

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Hydnellum compactum is a stipitate, tooth fungus with a compact, brownish-orange to rusty-brown cap surface covered in spines on the underside. It grows on the forest floor in coniferous forests across Europe and parts of North America, forming ectomycorrhizal associations with trees. This fungus obtains nutrients by forming mutualistic partnerships with the roots of pine, spruce, and fir trees.