Fly Agaric vs Scarlet Elfcup

Amanita muscaria compared with Sarcoscypha austriaca

Key Differences

• Fly Agaric is Least Concern while Scarlet Elfcup is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Fly Agaric	Scarlet Elfcup
Kingdom same	Fungi (Fungi)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)
Class	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Pezizomycetes (Pezizomycetes)
Order	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)	Pezizales (Pezizales)
Family	Agaricaceae (Agarics)	Sarcoscyphaceae
Genus	Amanita (Amanitas)	Sarcoscypha
Species	Amanita muscaria	Sarcoscypha austriaca

Evolutionary Relationship

Fly Agaric and Scarlet Elfcup share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Fungi. (Fungi)

Conservation Status

Fly Agaric

LC — Least Concern

Trend: Stable →

Scarlet Elfcup

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Fly Agaric	Scarlet Elfcup
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).

Scarlet Elfcup

Habitat

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

Range

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

Fly Agaric

El matamoscas (Amanita muscaria) es uno de los hongos más icónicos y reconocibles de la Tierra, con llamativos sombreros rojos con manchas blancas en los bosques boreales del hemisferio norte. A pesar de su apariencia de cuento de hadas, contiene potentes compuestos psicoactivos como muscimol y ácido iboténico y es moderadamente tóxico. Forma simbiosis micorrícicas esenciales con abedules, pinos y abetos, intercambiando nutrientes minerales por carbono y desempeñando roles fundamentales en el ciclo de nutrientes de los bosques boreales.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇺🇸 United States