List of deadly fungus species

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
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
Amanita fuliginea Hongo	East Asian brown death cap	amanitins	liver	Woodland China
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
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 and possibly other toxic npAAs	liver & kidney	Woodland Japan and Pacific Northwest
Amanita sphaerobulbosa Hongo	Asian abrupt-bulbed Lepidella	2-amino-4,5-hexadienoic acid and possibly other toxic npAAs	liver & kidney	Mixed woodlands, eastern Asia
Amanita subpallidorosea Qing Cai, Zhu L. Yang & Y.Y. Cui		amanitins	liver	Woodland China
Amanita subjunquillea S. Imai	East Asian death cap	amanitins	liver	Woodland East and Southeast Asia, Japan, India
Amanita verna (Bull.: Fr.) Lam.	Fool's mushroom	amanitins	liver	Woodland (various) Europe	Agaricus arvensis Agaricus campestris Lycoperdon spp.
Amanita virosa (Fr.) Bertillon	European destroying angel	amanitins	liver	Woodland (various) Europe	Agaricus arvensis Agaricus campestris Lycoperdon spp.
Calonarius splendens Rob. Henry	splendid webcap, yellow clubbed foot	orellanine	kidney
Conocybe rugosa (Peck) Singer more commonly known as Conocybe filaris		amanitins	liver	grassland, lawns, rich soil and compost North America, Europe and Asia	Psilocybe spp.
Claviceps purpurea	Ergot	ergot alkaloids	multiple	grass
Clitocybe dealbata (Sowerby) Gillet	ivory funnel	muscarine	CNS	grassland Europe, North America	Marasmius oreades Clitopilus prunulus
Clitocybe rivulosa (Pers.) P. Kumm.	false champignon	muscarine	CNS	grassland Europe, North America	Marasmius oreades Clitopilus prunulus
Cortinarius orellanus Fries	Fool's webcap	orellanine	kidney	Coniferous woodland Northern Europe
Cortinarius rubellus Cooke	deadly webcap	orellanine	kidney	Coniferous woodland Northern Europe
Cortinarius eartoxicus Gasparini	deadly webcap	orellanine	kidney	Tasman Peninsula, Tasmania
Galerina marginata (Batsch) Kühner	autumn skullcap	amanitins	liver	worldwide	Kuehneromyces mutabilis
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]
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
Lepiota helveola Bres.		amanitins	liver	Coniferous woodlands of Europe
Lepiota subincarnata	deadly parasol	amanitins	liver	Asia, Europe, and North America
Trichoderma cornu-damae	poison fire coral	satratoxin-H (a ribosome inactivating small molecule) [5]	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 [6]	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. Amanita caesarea
Rubroboletus pulcherrimus Fr.	Red-pored bolete	unknown	severe gastrointestinal	Woodland Western North America	Boletus edulis Neoboletus luridiformis
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 F and E	severe gastrointestinal	Woodland Western North America	Armillaria mellea Hypholoma capnoides
Lactarius torminosus (Schaeff.) Gray	woolly milk-cap	unknown	severe gastrointestinal	Woodland Northern Europe	Lactarius deliciosus
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
Pleurocybella porrigens	Angel Wings	Pleurocybellaziridin [7]	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

• List of poisonous fungus species
• Mycotoxicology

Footnotes

1. Yang Z, Li T (2001). "Notes on three white Amanitae of section Phalloideae (Amanitaceae) from China". Mycotaxon. 78: 439–48. Retrieved 2010-05-03.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Zeitlmayr L. (1976). Wild Mushrooms:An Illustrated Handbook. Hertfordshire: Garden City Press. p. 77. ISBN   0-584-10324-7.
5. Lee, B. S., Jung, S. M., Ryoo, R., Choi, S. U., An, S., Kim, K. H. (2023), "N-Hydroxy-Phe-Phe, a new dipeptide, and cytotoxic macrocyclic trichothecenes from the lethal toxic mushroom Podostroma cornu-damae" , Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry, 21 (42), Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC): 8521–8527, doi:10.1039/D3OB01387A, PMID   37819425
6. 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.
7. 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.