Pine Milkcap vs Sooty Milkcap

Lactarius musteus compared with Lactarius fuliginosus

Key Differences

• Pine Milkcap is Endangered while Sooty Milkcap is Data Deficient.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Pine Milkcap	Sooty Milkcap
Kingdom same	Fungi (菌界)	Fungi (菌界)
Phylum same	Basidiomycota (担子菌門)	Basidiomycota (担子菌門)
Class same	Agaricomycetes (真正担子菌綱)	Agaricomycetes (真正担子菌綱)
Order same	Russulales (ベニタケ目)	Russulales (ベニタケ目)
Family same	Russulaceae	Russulaceae
Genus same	Lactarius	Lactarius
Species	Lactarius musteus	Lactarius fuliginosus

Evolutionary Relationship

Pine Milkcap and Sooty Milkcap share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Lactarius.

Conservation Status

Pine Milkcap

EN — Endangered

Sooty Milkcap

DD — Data Deficient

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Pine Milkcap	Sooty Milkcap
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Pine Milkcap

Habitat

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

Range

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

Sooty Milkcap

Habitat

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

Range

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

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden