Fly Agaric vs small tortoiseshell

Amanita muscaria compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

Fly Agaric is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Fly Agaric	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom	Fungi (nấm)	Animalia (động vật)
Phylum	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Arthropoda (động vật Chân khớp)
Class	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Insecta (côn trùng)
Order	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)	Lepidoptera (bộ Cánh vảy)
Family	Agaricaceae (Agarics)	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Amanita (Amanitas)	Aglais
Species	Amanita muscaria	Aglais urticae

Conservation Status

Fly Agaric

LC — Least Concern

Trend: Stable →

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Fly Agaric	small tortoiseshell
Diet	Decomposer	—
Average Lifespan	1 years	—
Average Length	20 cm	—
Average Weight	100 g	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Fly Agaric

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (4 countries), North America (United States), Oceania and the Pacific (New Zealand), and South America (Brazil, Chile, Colombia).

small tortoiseshell

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found across Europe (41 countries). Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Fly Agaric

Among the most iconic and recognizable fungi on Earth, fly agaric mushrooms display striking red caps with white flecked warts across boreal forests of the Northern Hemisphere. Despite their fairy-tale appearance, they contain potent psychoactive compounds including muscimol and ibotenic acid and are moderately toxic. They form critical mycorrhizal symbioses with birch, pine, and spruce trees, exchanging mineral nutrients for carbon and playing essential roles in boreal forest nutrient cycling.

small tortoiseshell

small tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae) is classified as Near Threatened (NT) on the IUCN Red List. Close to qualifying as threatened, with populations that may become vulnerable without conservation action.