Coal Brittlegill
Russula anthracina
The Coal Brittlegill is a distinctive dark-capped mushroom species with a blackish to dark brown cap and white to cream-colored gills and stem. This mycorrhizal fungus forms essential symbiotic relationships with tree roots, particularly conifers, facilitating nutrient exchange that supports forest ecosystem health and tree growth.
Photo: iNaturalist: no rights reserved, uploaded by Sigrid Jakob
Taxonomy & Classification
Kingdom
Fungi
Phylum
Basidiomycota
Class
Agaricomycetes
Order
Russulales
Family
Russulaceae
Genus
Russula
Coal Brittlegill belongs to the family Russulaceae, order Russulales, within the Agaricomycetes class.
Species Profile
The Coal Brittlegill is a distinctive dark-capped mushroom species with a blackish to dark brown cap and white to cream-colored gills and stem. This mycorrhizal fungus forms essential symbiotic relationships with tree roots, particularly conifers, facilitating nutrient exchange that supports forest ecosystem health and tree growth.
Coal Brittlegill faces significant threats from habitat loss due to deforestation and forest fragmentation, which reduces the availability of suitable host trees essential for this mycorrhizal fungus. Climate change poses additional risks by altering forest composition and moisture regimes that this species depends on for reproduction and survival.
Key Facts
Habitat & Distribution
Coal Brittlegill occurs in mature deciduous and mixed forests, particularly those dominated by beech, oak, and other broadleaf trees with which it forms mycorrhizal associations. This species typically inhabits well-established woodland ecosystems with rich, organic soils and stable moisture conditions.
Threats
Deforestation and forest clearing
Forest fragmentation
Loss of mycorrhizal host trees
Climate change impacts on forest ecosystems
Habitat degradation from logging activities
Community Sightings
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Sources & Attribution
How to Cite
IUCN: IUCN (2025). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2025-1. Available at: https://www.iucnredlist.org. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2025-1.RLTS
GBIF: GBIF.org (2025). GBIF Home Page. Available at: https://www.gbif.org
This page: SpeciesRadar (2025). Coal Brittlegill (Russula anthracina). SpeciesRadar: Intelligence for Earth's Biodiversity. Available at: https://speciesradar.org/species/coal-brittlegill