Liver Milkcap vs Sooty Milkcap

Lactarius hepaticus compared with Lactarius fuliginosus

Key Differences

• Liver Milkcap is Least Concern while Sooty Milkcap is Data Deficient.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Liver Milkcap	Sooty Milkcap
Kingdom same	Fungi (Fungi)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum same	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class same	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)
Order same	Russulales (Russulales)	Russulales (Russulales)
Family same	Russulaceae	Russulaceae
Genus same	Lactarius	Lactarius
Species	Lactarius hepaticus	Lactarius fuliginosus

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

Liver Milkcap

LC — Least Concern

Sooty Milkcap

DD — Data Deficient

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Liver Milkcap

Habitat

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

Range

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

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 5 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇺🇸 United States