Alpine Brittlegill vs Coal Brittlegill

Russula nana compared with Russula anthracina

Key Differences

• Alpine Brittlegill is Least Concern while Coal Brittlegill is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Alpine Brittlegill	Coal Brittlegill
Kingdom same	Fungi (เห็ดรา)	Fungi (เห็ดรา)
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	Russula	Russula
Species	Russula nana	Russula anthracina

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

Alpine Brittlegill

LC — Least Concern

Coal Brittlegill

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Alpine Brittlegill

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Norway and Sweden.

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.

Alpine Brittlegill

The Alpine Brittlegill (Russula nana) is a species in the genus Russula. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil ecosystems. Distributed across 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.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden