Bitter Tooth vs Fly Agaric

Hydnellum scabrosum compared with Amanita muscaria

Key Differences

• Bitter Tooth is Near Threatened while Fly Agaric is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Bitter Tooth	Fly Agaric
Kingdom same	Fungi (Fungi)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum same	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class same	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)
Order	Thelephorales (Thelephorales)	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)
Family	Bankeraceae	Agaricaceae (Agarics)
Genus	Hydnellum	Amanita (Amanitas)
Species	Hydnellum scabrosum	Amanita muscaria

Evolutionary Relationship

Bitter Tooth and Fly Agaric share a common ancestor at the Class level: Agaricomycetes. (Mushrooms)

Conservation Status

Bitter Tooth

NT — Near Threatened

Fly Agaric

LC — Least Concern

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Bitter Tooth

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

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).

Bitter Tooth

The Bitter Tooth (Hydnellum scabrosum) is a species in the genus Hydnellum. It is currently classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil ecosystems.

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 3 countries:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden