Coal Brittlegill vs

Russula anthracina compared with Russula subrubens

Key Differences

• Coal Brittlegill is Near Threatened while is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Coal Brittlegill
Kingdom same	Fungi (균계)	Fungi (균계)
Phylum same	Basidiomycota (담자균류)	Basidiomycota (담자균류)
Class same	Agaricomycetes (주름버섯강)	Agaricomycetes (주름버섯강)
Order same	Russulales (무당버섯목)	Russulales (무당버섯목)
Family same	Russulaceae	Russulaceae
Genus same	Russula	Russula
Species	Russula anthracina	Russula subrubens

Evolutionary Relationship

Coal Brittlegill and share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Russula.

Conservation Status

Coal Brittlegill

NT — Near Threatened

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Coal Brittlegill
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Coal Brittlegill

Habitat

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

Range

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

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

Coal Brittlegill

Russula anthracina, the coal brittlegill, is an ectomycorrhizal mushroom in the family Russulaceae associated with deciduous and mixed forests across Europe. The species forms underground mycorrhizal partnerships with hardwood trees, particularly oaks and beeches, trading mineral nutrients and water for photosynthate and representing an essential component of forest nutrient cycling. The fruiting body is characterized by a dark, charcoal grey to blackish-brown cap up to 10 centimeters across with a slightly viscid surface when moist, firm white gills, and a stout white stem. Like all brittlegills in the genus Russula, the flesh is brittle due to the presence of spherocytes rather than the interwoven hyphae that give most mushrooms their fibrous texture. Russula anthracina is confirmed from northern and central Europe including Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, occupying mature beech-oak forest habitats. It is assessed as Near Threatened by the IUCN, reflecting declines associated with the loss and fragmentation of old-growth deciduous forest across Europe, atmospheric nitrogen deposition that disrupts mycorrhizal networks, and reduced dead wood availability. The genus Russula comprises several hundred species worldwide, making accurate species identification challenging, and population trends for specific taxa like R. anthracina are difficult to estimate with precision.

Russula subrubens는 낙엽수 및 침엽수와 외균근 공생 관계를 형성하는 러술라세아과의 균근 버섯이다. 붉은색에서 분홍빛 갓과 무른버섯속에 특징적인 부서지기 쉬운 흰색 주름을 가진 중형 자실체를 형성한다. 관심필요종으로 평가되며 유럽 전역의 온대 삼림 서식지에서 발견된다.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden