Common Rustgill vs Scaly Rustgill

Gymnopilus penetrans compared with Gymnopilus sapineus

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Rustgill	Scaly Rustgill
Kingdom same	Fungi (nấm)	Fungi (nấm)
Phylum same	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class same	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)
Order same	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)
Family same	Hymenogastraceae	Hymenogastraceae
Genus same	Gymnopilus	Gymnopilus
Species	Gymnopilus penetrans	Gymnopilus sapineus

Evolutionary Relationship

Common Rustgill and Scaly Rustgill share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Gymnopilus.

Conservation Status

Common Rustgill

LC — Least Concern

Scaly Rustgill

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Rustgill	Scaly Rustgill
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common Rustgill

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, and Sweden.

Scaly Rustgill

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Chile, and Sweden.

Common Rustgill

<em>Gymnopilus penetrans</em>, the common rustgill, is a saprotrophic basidiomycete fungus in the family Hymenogastraceae, commonly found across temperate regions of Europe and beyond. It has been recorded in Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, and Sweden, typically fruiting on decaying conifer wood, stumps, buried roots, and woody debris in forests and woodland habitats. The fruiting bodies are small to medium-sized mushrooms with tawny orange to rust-brown caps, typically 2–7 centimeters in diameter, and bright rusty-orange gills that give the species its common name. The stem is similarly colored and typically fibrous. As a wood-decaying fungus, common rustgill plays an important ecological role in the decomposition of dead conifer timber and the recycling of nutrients in forest ecosystems. The species produces minute, roughened, rusty-brown spores. It is assessed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. The common rustgill typically fruits from late summer through autumn. It may occasionally be confused with related <em>Gymnopilus</em> species; some members of the genus contain potentially toxic or psychoactive compounds, though <em>G. penetrans</em> is generally considered of low toxicity. Biological traits such as average lifespan and detailed dietary substrate specificity remain poorly documented in comprehensive ecological databases.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇸🇪 Sweden