Stinkstorchschnabel-Coleroa vs Koala

Coleroa robertiani compared with Phascolarctos cinereus

Key Differences

Stinkstorchschnabel-Coleroa is Not Evaluated while Koala is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Stinkstorchschnabel-Coleroa	Koala
Kingdom	Fungi (Pilze)	Animalia (Tier)
Phylum	Ascomycota (Schlauchpilze)	Chordata (Chordatiere)
Class	Dothideomycetes (Dothideomycetes)	Mammalia (Säugetiere)
Order	Venturiales (Venturiales)	Diprotodontia (Marsupials)
Family	Venturiaceae	Phascolarctidae (Koalas)
Genus	Coleroa	Phascolarctos (Koalas)
Species	Coleroa robertiani	Phascolarctos cinereus

Conservation Status

Stinkstorchschnabel-Coleroa

NE — Not Evaluated

Koala

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~100.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Stinkstorchschnabel-Coleroa	Koala
Diet	—	Herbivore
Average Lifespan	—	15 years
Average Length	—	75 cm
Average Weight	—	10.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Stinkstorchschnabel-Coleroa

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, and United States.

Koala

Habitat

Typically found in grasslands, forests, and vegetated habitats.

Range

Found in Australia. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Stinkstorchschnabel-Coleroa

Coleroa robertiani is an ascomycete fungus in the family Phacidiaceae, specialized as a parasite or saprotrophic organism on herb-Robert (Geranium robertianum) and related geraniums (family Geraniaceae). The species produces small, dark apothecia on senescent or infected leaf tissue, releasing ascospores that perpetuate the fungal life cycle. Like other Coleroa species, it forms characteristic setose (bristle-bearing) fruiting bodies that anchor to host plant surfaces. This fungus is recorded primarily from temperate European regions where Geranium robertianum grows in shaded, moist habitats such as hedgerows, woodland edges, and rocky slopes. Its host specificity to Geraniaceae reflects co-evolutionary relationships between fungal lineages and particular plant families. Coleroa robertiani is generally not considered an economically significant pathogen given the weed or naturalized status of its host plants in many areas, but it plays a role in regulating wild Geranium populations and cycling nutrients through decomposition of infected tissue. As with many microfungi on minor hosts, detailed ecological and distributional data are sparse, and molecular phylogenetic studies continue to refine its classification within the broader Rhytismatales.

Koala

Iconic marsupial of eastern and southeastern Australia, koalas weigh up to 15 kg and spend up to 22 hours daily sleeping to conserve energy from their low-calorie eucalyptus leaf diet. Highly specialized to process toxic eucalyptus compounds that would kill most other mammals, they have gut microbiomes uniquely adapted for detoxification. Listed as Endangered in 2022, with populations decimated by chlamydia disease, habitat clearing, and climate change.