Dry Rot vs Fly Agaric

Serpula lacrymans compared with Amanita muscaria

Key Differences

• Dry Rot is Not Evaluated while Fly Agaric is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Dry Rot	Fly Agaric
Kingdom	Animalia (animal)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Annelida (Segmented Worms)	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class	Polychaeta (Polychaeta)	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)
Order	Sabellida (Sabellida)	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)
Family	Serpulidae	Agaricaceae (Agarics)
Genus	Serpula	Amanita (Amanitas)
Species	Serpula lacrymans	Amanita muscaria

Conservation Status

Dry Rot

NE — Not Evaluated

Fly Agaric

LC — Least Concern

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Dry Rot	Fly Agaric
Diet	—	Decomposer
Average Lifespan	—	1 years
Average Length	—	20 cm
Average Weight	—	100 g

Habitat & Geographic Range

Dry Rot

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (6 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Chile).

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).

Fly Agaric

Among the most iconic and recognizable fungi on Earth, fly agaric mushrooms display striking red caps with white flecked warts across boreal forests of the Northern Hemisphere. Despite their fairy-tale appearance, they contain potent psychoactive compounds including muscimol and ibotenic acid and are moderately toxic. They form critical mycorrhizal symbioses with birch, pine, and spruce trees, exchanging mineral nutrients for carbon and playing essential roles in boreal forest nutrient cycling.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 6 countries:

🇨🇱 Chile 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇺🇸 United States