Fly Agaric vs Mao

Amanita muscaria compared with Gymnomyza samoensis

Key Differences

Fly Agaric is Least Concern while Mao is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Fly Agaric	Mao
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Chordata (cordados)
Class	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Aves (ave)
Order	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)	Passeriformes (Songbirds)
Family	Agaricaceae (Agarics)	Meliphagidae
Genus	Amanita (Amanitas)	Gymnomyza
Species	Amanita muscaria	Gymnomyza samoensis

Conservation Status

Fly Agaric

LC — Least Concern

Trend: Stable →

Mao

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Fly Agaric	Mao
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).

Mao

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Found in Norway. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Fly Agaric

A amanita-das-moscas (Amanita muscaria) é um dos fungos mais icônicos e reconhecíveis da Terra, exibindo chapéus vermelhos marcantes com verrugas brancas nos bosques boreais do hemisfério norte. Apesar de sua aparência de conto de fadas, contém potentes compostos psicoativos como muscimol e ácido iboténico, sendo moderadamente tóxico. Forma simbioses micorrízicas essenciais com bétulas, pinheiros e abetos, trocando nutrientes minerais por carbono e desempenhando papéis fundamentais na ciclagem de nutrientes nas florestas boreais.