Common Ink Cap vs Magpie Fungus

Coprinopsis atramentaria compared with Coprinopsis picacea

Key Differences

• Common Ink Cap is Least Concern while Magpie Fungus is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Ink Cap	Magpie Fungus
Kingdom same	Fungi (เห็ดรา)	Fungi (เห็ดรา)
Phylum same	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class same	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)
Order same	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)
Family same	Psathyrellaceae	Psathyrellaceae
Genus same	Coprinopsis	Coprinopsis
Species	Coprinopsis atramentaria	Coprinopsis picacea

Evolutionary Relationship

Common Ink Cap and Magpie Fungus share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Coprinopsis.

Conservation Status

Common Ink Cap

LC — Least Concern

Magpie Fungus

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Ink Cap	Magpie Fungus
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common Ink Cap

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (4 countries), and North America (United States).

Magpie Fungus

Habitat

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

Range

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

Common Ink Cap

<em>Coprinopsis atramentaria</em>, commonly known as the common ink cap, is a saprotrophic fungus in the family Psathyrellaceae. It is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, with a distribution spanning Asia (including Taiwan), Europe, and North America. The species typically grows on forest floors, buried wood, stumps, and other decomposing woody substrates in temperate regions. As a saprotroph, it plays an important ecological role in breaking down organic matter. The common ink cap is notable for containing coprine, a compound that inhibits aldehyde dehydrogenase and causes unpleasant reactions when consumed with alcohol. Diet information for this species is not available in current records. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 5 countries:

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