Deer Mushroom vs Ghost Shield

Pluteus cervinus compared with Pluteus pellitus

Key Differences

• Deer Mushroom is Least Concern while Ghost Shield is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Deer Mushroom	Ghost Shield
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	Pluteaceae	Pluteaceae
Genus same	Pluteus	Pluteus
Species	Pluteus cervinus	Pluteus pellitus

Evolutionary Relationship

Deer Mushroom and Ghost Shield share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Pluteus.

Conservation Status

Deer Mushroom

LC — Least Concern

Ghost Shield

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Deer Mushroom	Ghost Shield
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Deer Mushroom

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (5 countries), and North America (United States).

Ghost Shield

Habitat

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

Range

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

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

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