vs Lesser Pencil-tailed Tree Mouse

Lactarius flavidus compared with Chiropodomys pusillus

Key Differences

• is Critically Endangered 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	Russulales (Russulales)	Rodentia (Rodents)
Family	Russulaceae	Muridae (Mice & Rats)
Genus	Lactarius	Chiropodomys
Species	Lactarius flavidus	Chiropodomys pusillus

Conservation Status

CR — Critically Endangered

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

Found across multiple habitat types including temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, temperate coniferous forests, and boreal forests and taiga, among 4 distinct biome types within the Palearctic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

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

Lactarius flavidus is a gilled mushroom in the milk cap genus with a pale yellowish cap and white to yellowish latex that exudes when cut. It grows in Mediterranean and southern European forests, forming ectomycorrhizal associations with oak and pine trees. This fungus exchanges soil nutrients for photosynthetic sugars with its tree partners.