List of deadly fungus species
Appearance
Although many people have a fear of mushroom poisoning by "toadstools", only a small number of the many macroscopic fruiting bodies commonly known as mushrooms and toadstools have proven fatal to humans.
This list is not exhaustive and does not contain many fungi that, although not deadly, are still harmful. For a less-detailed list of fungi that include non-deadly poisonous species, see List of poisonous fungi.
Fungi with significant risk of death if consumed
Scientific name | Common name | Active Agent | Toxicity | Habitat | Similar edible species | Picture |
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Amanita arocheae Tulloss, Ovrebo & Halling |
Latin American death cap | amanitins | liver | Woodland (oak) Mexico |
Volvariella volvacea, Amanita vaginata, Amanita fulva | ![]() |
Amanita bisporigera G. F. Atk. |
Eastern destroying angel | amanitins | liver | Woodland (pine and oak) Eastern North America |
Agaricus silvicola, Volvariella volvacea | ![]() |
Amanita exitialis Zhu L. Yang & T.H. Li |
Guangzhou destroying angel | amanitins[1][2] | liver | Deciduous woodland Guangdong province, China; India |
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Amanita fuliginea Hongo |
East Asian brown death cap | amanitins | liver | Woodland China |
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Amanita magnivelaris Peck |
Great felt skirt destroying angel | amanitins[3] | liver | Americas | ![]() | |
Amanita ocreata Peck |
Western destroying angel | amanitins | liver | Woodland (oak) Pacific Northwest North America |
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Amanita phalloides (Vaill. ex Fr.) Link |
death cap | amanitins | liver | Woodland (various) Europe, North Africa, North America, Australia (SE), New Zealand |
Volvariella volvacea, Russula virescens Amanita lanei Tricholoma equestre, Agaricus campestris |
|
Amanita smithiana Bas |
smith's lepidella | 2-amino-4,5-hexadienoic acid | liver & kidney | Woodland Japan and Pacific Northwest |
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Amanita sphaerobulbosa Hongo |
Asian abrupt-bulbed Lepidella | 2-amino-4,5-hexadienoic acid | liver & kidney | Mixed woodlands, eastern Asia | ![]() | |
Amanita subpallidorosea Qing Cai, Zhu L. Yang & Y.Y. Cui |
amanitins | liver | Woodland China |
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Amanita subjunquillea S. Imai |
East Asian death cap | amanitins | liver | Woodland East and Southeast Asia, Japan, India |
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Amanita verna (Bull.: Fr.) Lam. |
Fool's mushroom | amanitins | liver | Woodland (various) Europe |
Agaricus arvensis Agaricus campestris Lycoperdon spp. |
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Amanita virosa (Fr.) Bertillon |
European destroying angel | amanitins | liver | Woodland (various) Europe |
Agaricus arvensis Agaricus campestris Lycoperdon spp. |
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Claviceps purpurea | Ergot | ergotamine | multiple | grass | ||
Clitocybe dealbata (Sowerby) Gillet |
ivory funnel | muscarine | CNS | grassland Europe, North America |
Marasmius oreades | ![]() |
Clitocybe rivulosa (Pers.) P. Kumm. |
false champignon | muscarine | CNS | grassland Europe, North America |
Marasmius oreades | |
Cortinarius orellanus Fries |
Fool's webcap | orellanine | kidney | Coniferous woodland Northern Europe |
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Cortinarius rubellus Cooke |
deadly webcap | orellanine | kidney | Coniferous woodland Northern Europe |
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Cortinarius eartoxicus Gasparini |
deadly webcap | orellanine | kidney | Tasman Peninsula, Tasmania | ||
Cortinarius splendens Rob. Henry |
splendid webcap, yellow clubbed foot | orellanine | kidney | ![]() | ||
Galerina marginata (Batsch) Kühner |
autumn skullcap | amanitins | liver | worldwide | Kuehneromyces mutabilis |
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Galerina sulciceps (Batsch) Kühner |
toadstool | amanitins | liver | Indonesia | ||
Gyromitra esculenta (Pers. ex Pers.) Fr. |
false morel | gyromitrin and monomethylhydrazine | multiple (depletes PLP stores) | Coniferous woodlands in the Northern hemisphere | Morchella spp. | |
Inosperma erubescens (A. Blytt) Matheny & Esteve-Rav. |
red-staining inocybe (prev. I. patouillardii) |
muscarine | CNS | Deciduous woodland (beech) Europe |
Calocybe gambosa, Agaricus spp., Cortinarius caperatus[4] |
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Lepiota brunneoincarnata Chodat & C. Martín |
deadly dapperling | amanitins | liver | Coniferous woodland Europe |
Tricholoma terreum, Marasmius oreades | ![]() |
Lepiota brunneolilacea Bon & Boiffard |
star dapperling | amanitins | liver | Sand dunes of Western Europe | ||
Lepiota castanea Quél |
chestnut dapperling | amanitins | liver | Coniferous woodland Europe |
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Lepiota helveola Bres. |
amanitins | liver | Coniferous woodlands of Europe | ![]() | ||
Lepiota subincarnata |
deadly parasol | amanitins | liver | Asia, Europe, and North America | ![]() | |
Pholiotina rugosa (Peck) Singer more commonly known as Conocybe filaris |
amanitins | liver | grassland, lawns, rich soil and compost North America, Europe and Asia |
Psilocybe spp. | ![]() | |
Podostroma cornu-damae (Patouillard) Hongo & Izawa |
poison fire coral | diacetylsatratoxin-H (ribosome inactivating small molecule) | bone marrow, brain and skin | Japan, South Korea, Papua New Guinea, Australia | Ganoderma | ![]() |
Paxillus involutus (Batsch ex Fr.) Fr. |
brown roll-rim | unknown, possibly glycoprotein antigen | extreme autoimmune reaction with hemolysis | Europe and North America | ![]() | |
Trogia venenata Zhu L.Yang, Y.C.Li & L.P.Tang |
Little White | (2S,4R)‐2‐amino‐4‐hydroxyhex‐5‐ynoic acid [5] | Causes cardiac arrhythmia and hypoglycemia (Yunnan Sudden Death Syndrome) | Yunnan, China | white Pleurotus |
Fungi where isolated deaths have been reported
Scientific name | Common name | Active Agent | Toxicity | Habitat | Similar edible species | Picture |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Amanita muscaria | Fly agaric | Muscimol | CNS | Northern hemisphere, coniferous and deciduous woodland | Lycoperdon spp.
Calvatia spp. |
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Rubroboletus pulcherrimus Fr. |
Devil's bolete | unknown | severe gastrointestinal | Woodland Western North America |
Boletus edulis Neoboletus luridiformis |
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Entoloma sinuatum (Bull.) P. Kumm. |
Livid pinkgill | unknown | severe gastrointestinal | Deciduous woodland North America, Europe |
Clitopilus prunulus Calocybe gambosa Entoloma abortivum |
|
Hypholoma fasciculare (Huds.:Fr.) P. Kumm. |
sulfur tuft | Fasciculol E | severe gastrointestinal | Woodland Western North America |
Armillaria mellea Hypholoma capnoides |
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Lactarius torminosus (Schaeff.) Gray |
woolly milk-cap | unknown | severe gastrointestinal | Woodland Northern Europe |
Lactarius deliciosus |
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Omphalotus illudens (Schwein.) Bresinsky & Besl |
jack-o'lantern mushroom | Illudins M and S, Muscarine | severe cramps, vomiting, and diarrhea | North America | Cantharellus californicus | ![]() |
Omphalotus japonicus (Kawam.) Kirchm. & O.K.Mill. (2002) |
jack-o'lantern mushroom | Illudins M and S, Muscarine | severe cramps, vomiting, and diarrhea | Japan | Pleurotus ostreatus Lentinula edodes Panellus serotinus |
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Pleurocybella porrigens | Angel Wings | Pleurocybellaziridine[6] | neurotoxic | Woodland (various) North America, Europe and Asia |
Pleurotus pulmonarius | ![]() |
Russula subnigricans Hongo |
Nisekurohatsu | cycloprop-2-ene carboxylic acid | rhabdomyolysis | worldwide | ||
Tricholoma equestre (L.) P. Kumm. |
yellow knight, man-on-horseback | possibly cycloprop-2-ene carboxylic acid? | rhabdomyolysis | worldwide | ![]() |
See also
Footnotes
- ^ Yang Z, Li T (2001). "Notes on three white Amanitae of section Phalloideae (Amanitaceae) from China". Mycotaxon. 78: 439–48. Retrieved 2010-05-03.
- ^ Hu J, Chen ZH, Zhang ZG, Zhang P (2003). "Analysis of the main amatoxins and phallotoxins in Amanita exitialis, a new species in China". Weishengwu Xuebao. 43 (5): 642–46. ISSN 0001-6209. PMID 16281563.
- ^ Logemann H, Argueta J, Guzmán G, Montoya Bello L, Bandala Munoz VM, De Leon Chocooj R (1987). "A deadly poisoning by mushrooms in Guatemala". Revista Mexicana de Micologia (in Spanish). 3: 211–16. ISSN 0187-3180.
- ^ Zeitlmayr L. (1976). Wild Mushrooms:An Illustrated Handbook. Hertfordshire: Garden City Press. p. 77. ISBN 0-584-10324-7.
- ^ Zhou, Z. Y.; Shi, G. Q.; Fontaine, R.; Wei, K.; Feng, T.; Wang, F.; Wang, G. Q.; Qu, Y.; Li, Z. H.; Dong, Z. J.; Zhu, H. J.; Yang, Z. L.; Zeng, G.; Liu, J. K. (2012). "Evidence for the Natural Toxins from the Mushroom Trogia venenata as a Cause of Sudden Unexpected Death in Yunnan Province, China". Angewandte Chemie International Edition. 51 (10): 2368–2370. doi:10.1002/anie.201106502. PMID 22287497.
- ^ Wakimoto T, Asakawa T, Akahoshi S, Suzuki T, Nagai K, Kawagishi H, Kan T (2011). "Proof of the existence of an unstable amino acid: pleurocybellaziridine in Pleurocybella porrigens". Angewandte Chemie International Edition. 50 (5): 1168–1170. doi:10.1002/anie.201004646. PMID 21268219.