Merriam’s Pocket Mouse vs Splendid Waxcap

Perognathus merriami compared with Hygrocybe splendidissima

Key Differences

• Merriam’s Pocket Mouse is Least Concern while Splendid Waxcap is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Merriam’s Pocket Mouse	Splendid Waxcap
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)
Order	Rodentia (Rodents)	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)
Family	Heteromyidae	Hygrophoraceae
Genus	Perognathus	Hygrocybe
Species	Perognathus merriami	Hygrocybe splendidissima

Conservation Status

Merriam’s Pocket Mouse

LC — Least Concern

Splendid Waxcap

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Merriam’s Pocket Mouse	Splendid Waxcap
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Merriam’s Pocket Mouse

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Splendid Waxcap

Habitat

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

Range

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