Amanita muscaria
Enable an AI agent to recognise candidate Amanita muscaria, assess identification confidence and biological condition, and decide appropriate observation, sampling, handling and exposure-response actions.
Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled
6 bundles · 11 layers · 19 findings · 37 questions
Taxon and identification Establish what the Amanita muscaria name means for this record and how strongly the material supports that assignment.
Taxonomic circumscription
Anchor the registry name to an explicit taxonomic interpretation.
Authority-qualified name
Record the treatment used, its geographic applicability and unresolved relationships to neighbouring taxa.
- Which taxonomic authority and dated treatment define Amanita muscaria for this record? provenance
- Does that treatment use Amanita muscaria narrowly or for a broader fly-agaric group? boundary
Identification support
Keep the assigned name traceable to examined material and diagnostic reasoning.
Reviewable determination
Distinguish a visual suggestion from an expert determination and from molecular support.
- Which photographs, voucher, microscopy observations or sequences support this determination? provenance
- Which plausible regional alternatives remain, and what additional evidence would resolve them? boundary
- Should the agent retain Amanita muscaria, report a broader group or request expert review? action
Diagnostic fruiting body Record the combination of visible and microscopic characters needed to examine a candidate fly agaric.
Cap, gills and veils
Examine the cap, underside, ring and complete stem base together.
Complete character combination
Record observed character agreement and contradictions without treating one striking feature as decisive.
- What cap colour, veil remnants, gill attachment, gill colour and ring configuration are visible? measurement
- Is the complete bulb visible, and what arrangement of veil remnants surrounds it? measurement
- Which observed characters distinguish this specimen from the regional alternatives in the chosen key? boundary
Microscopic comparison
Capture spore evidence when macroscopic examination leaves a meaningful identification gap.
Spore character support
Associate spore observations with sampled material, methods and the limits of their diagnostic value.
- What spore-print colour, spore dimensions, shape and amyloid reaction were observed? measurement
- Which specimen, preparation method, reagent and measurement count produced these observations? provenance
- Do these results discriminate the remaining candidates, or is another method required? action
Development and material condition Interpret visible features and specimen usefulness in relation to development, damage and preservation.
Developmental visibility
Relate the developmental stage to which diagnostic structures can actually be assessed.
Stage-dependent observability
Distinguish structures not yet exposed from structures demonstrated to be absent.
- Is the fruiting body enclosed, expanding, mature or senescent? measurement
- Which cap, gill, ring or basal characters are obscured by its developmental stage? boundary
- Would a later observation improve identification without collecting the fruiting body? action
Damage and preservation
Record changes that reduce diagnostic or analytical reliability.
Remaining evidence quality
Assess weathering, missing parts, decay and post-collection alteration separately from identification.
- Which structures are missing, eroded, discoloured, insect-damaged or decomposing? measurement
- What drying, freezing, chemical preservation or other treatment occurred after collection? provenance
- Is the remaining material suitable for morphology, sequencing, chemical analysis or only an uncertain occurrence record? action
Host and fruiting context Connect observations to their locality, potential tree associates and repeat-fruiting history.
Tree association
Separate a nearby tree from a demonstrated fungal host relationship.
Association evidence
Record candidate host taxa and the evidence supporting each ecological link.
- Which identified trees occur near the fruiting body, and how were their identities established? provenance
- Is the association based on proximity, root examination or linked molecular evidence? boundary
Occurrence and recurrence
Record fruiting events without assuming that each mushroom represents a separate organism.
Bounded fruiting observation
Tie counts and recurrence claims to a defined surveyed place, time and observation effort.
- Where and when were fruiting bodies observed, and what area and search effort were covered? measurement
- Does this record describe one fruiting body, a cluster, a site occurrence or evidence of a particular fungal individual? definition
- What evidence permits linking this event to earlier fruiting at the site? provenance
Chemical hazard and actions Represent chemical evidence and decisions concerning collected material or suspected exposure.
Sample-specific chemistry
Keep measured chemical composition attached to the actual tested material.
Assay and inference limits
Record chemical results and prevent unsupported transfer to other specimens or processed products.
- Were ibotenic acid and muscimol measured, and what were the results, units, detection limits and fresh- or dry-mass basis? measurement
- Which tissue or pooled material was tested, and what processing preceded the assay? provenance
- Which conclusions about untested material remain unsupported by this assay? boundary
Handling and exposure decisions
Determine appropriate observation, collection, segregation and referral actions for the actual context.
Contextual action boundaries
Link each proposed action to identification uncertainty, access conditions and the intended use of the material.
- Is the intended action photography, authorised sampling, storage, relocation or disposal, and what local constraints apply? action
- How will collected material remain labelled and segregated from food and accessible ingestion pathways? action
Suspected ingestion handoff
Preserve specimen identity and exposure information for qualified assessment without making clinical conclusions in this model.
- What material was reportedly ingested, by whom or what animal, at what time, and with what uncertainty about identity and quantity? provenance
- Which locally appropriate poison-control or veterinary service should receive the exposure details and available specimen evidence? action
Evidence and external alignment What the world already says about this thing, gathered so the model can be checked against it.
Reported evidence
Findings from the breadth pass, kept separate from the structural claims.
Kinds and varieties
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Which of these kinds and varieties hold for the sense of Amanita muscaria this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Identifiers and schemes
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Which of these identifiers and schemes hold for the sense of Amanita muscaria this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Standards and regulation
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Which of these standards and regulation hold for the sense of Amanita muscaria this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Real-world use
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Which of these real-world use hold for the sense of Amanita muscaria this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Typical measurements
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Which of these typical measurements hold for the sense of Amanita muscaria this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Failure modes and hazards
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Which of these failure modes and hazards hold for the sense of Amanita muscaria this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Regional variation
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Which of these regional variation hold for the sense of Amanita muscaria this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Which of these neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart hold for the sense of Amanita muscaria this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Classifiers Filled
- Family
- Thing Registry
- Category
- Physical world and living systems
- Entry kind
- thing
- Plane
- PHY
- Domain
- PHY.LIV
What it is Filled
Amanita muscaria (L.) Lam. is the type species of Amanita (Amanitaceae, Agaricales): an ectomycorrhizal basidiomycete whose fruit bodies typically bear a red to orange pileus with white universal-veil warts, free white gills, a pendulous annulus, a bulbous stipe with concentric volval ruffs, inamyloid white spores, and isoxazole toxins (ibotenic acid and muscimol) rather than amatoxins.
In scope
- Taxonomic interpretation of Amanita muscaria and uncertainty around regional species boundaries
- Recognition from complete fruiting bodies, diagnostic photographs and linked laboratory evidence
- Development, weathering, damage and preservation of observed material
- Fruiting location, season and evidence of association with host trees
- Specimen-specific chemical evidence, exposure concerns and handling decisions
Out of scope
- Independent models of neighbouring Amanita species or names not folded into this registry entry
- Whole-forest condition and host-tree health
- Clinical diagnosis and treatment of human or animal poisoning
- Manufacture, formulation and sale of mushroom-derived commercial products
- Cultural depictions, religious practices and historical symbolism
- Preparation instructions or dosing for consumption
Why it exists Filled
Enable an AI agent to recognise candidate Amanita muscaria, assess identification confidence and biological condition, and decide appropriate observation, sampling, handling and exposure-response actions.
Distinguishing features Filled
- Inspect the combined cap, gills, ring and complete stem base: coloured cap with pale veil remnants, white free gills, a hanging ring and a bulb with broken veil bands support a fly-agaric identification; cap colour alone does not. [Vancouver Mycological Society](https://vanmyco.org/about-mushrooms/poisonous/amanita-muscaria/)
- For confusion with panther-like Amanita, compare loose, ascending basal veil bands with an abrupt basal collar; require a regional identification key rather than treating this contrast as universally decisive. [Vancouver Mycological Society](https://vanmyco.org/about-mushrooms/poisonous/amanita-muscaria/)
- For a faded or apparently spotless candidate, inspect sheltered veil remnants and record weathering: cap warts can wash away, so their absence alone does not exclude the identification. [Vancouver Mycological Society](https://vanmyco.org/about-mushrooms/poisonous/amanita-muscaria/)
- Where microscopy is needed, compare a white spore print and smooth, non-amyloid spores against the regional key; these supporting characters do not uniquely identify the species. [Vancouver Mycological Society](https://vanmyco.org/about-mushrooms/poisonous/amanita-muscaria/)
- For closely related fly agarics, test the identification against the authority's geographic and molecular circumscription; named colour forms need not correspond to genetic lineages. [Vancouver Mycological Society](https://vanmyco.org/about-mushrooms/poisonous/amanita-muscaria/)
What robots and AI may and may not do Filled
Must not
- Advise anyone to eat it or say it is safe to eat after any preparation.
- Give dosing, preparation or effects guidance for intoxication.
- Confirm a wild mushroom is edible from a photo.
- Leave it where children or pets may eat it without warning the household.
Only with a human decision
- Responding to a suspected poisoning by contacting emergency or poison services.
May
- Identify the fly agaric from photographs or descriptions, stating that identification from images is uncertain.
- Describe its ecology and cultural history, citing mycological sources.
Moral aspects Filled
- Poisoning can be serious, and confusing it with edible species endangers foragers.
- It holds a strong place in folklore and some traditional cultures that should be described respectfully.
Who is affected
- Foragers
- Children and pets
- Forest ecosystems
Owners Filled
Steward
Nobody: a wild fungus; the landowner manages the land where it grows.
Master systems
- Fungal name and occurrence databases
Links to other meta-models Filled
parent
- Q1169875 - registry parent class
What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled
Identity and identifiers required Filled
- Vercy registry: vr.tr.amanita-muscaria
- Wikidata: Q131227 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q131227)
Direct properties required Filled
- Taxonomic interpretation: Authority-qualified species concept; strict sense, broad sense or unresolved
- Identification confidence: Candidate, supported, expert-reviewed, unresolved or rejected; with evidence and reviewer
- Observed biological unit: Fruiting body, cluster, tissue sample, spore sample, mycelium or colonised root
- Cap diameter: Millimetres, with developmental stage and measurement method
- Cap pigmentation and veil remnants: Observed colour; wart colour, distribution and persistence; obscured or unobserved
- Gill attachment and pigmentation: Free, attached or unresolved; observed colour
- Ring and basal veil configuration: Ring form; bulb form; broken bands, collar, sack-like structure, absent or unobserved
- Development and integrity: Enclosed, expanding, mature or senescent; intact, weathered, damaged or decomposing
- Spore evidence: Length and width in micrometres; sample count, print colour and amyloid reaction
- Host association: Linked tree taxon; nearby, suspected host or root association supported by evidence
- Occurrence context: Linked locality, observation date, substrate and location uncertainty
- Ibotenic acid and muscimol evidence: Not tested, not detected with detection limit, or concentration in mg/kg with fresh/dry basis and assay
Recognition required Filled
- A red to orange cap with white warty patches and white gills.
- A white stem with a ring and a swollen base with rings of scales.
Capabilities and actions required Filled
- Document cap, underside and complete stem base, with scale and developmental stage.
- Compare observed characters with a geographically appropriate key and refer unresolved candidates to a mycologist.
- Link authorised voucher, microscopy and sequence sampling to the original fruiting body.
- Revisit a fruiting site while keeping mushroom counts separate from fungal-individual counts.
- Label and segregate collected material to reduce accidental ingestion and preserve identification evidence.
- Route suspected ingestion to poison-control or veterinary expertise with available specimen and exposure details.
Hazards and failure modes required Filled
- Eating it causes poisoning with confusion, vomiting and loss of consciousness.
- Faded or washed caps can be mistaken for edible mushrooms.
Standards and interfaces required Filled
- The International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants, adopted through the International Botanical Congress, governs the scientific naming of this species.
Context of use required Filled
- This fungus occurs in association with tree roots in woodland and other habitats containing compatible host trees.
- Its fruit bodies are encountered in fungal surveys, ecological education and investigations of suspected poisoning.
Sources Filled
- Amanita muscaria - Taxonomy, infraspecific taxa, morphology and measurements, lookalikes, ecology, toxins, ethnomycology, and the 2024 FDA food-ingredient action.
- Amanita muscaria (Q131227) - Stable identifiers (Wikidata, Index Fungorum, iNaturalist) and listed infraspecific names.
- Index Fungorum Name Record: Amanita muscaria (L.) Lam. - Current name, basionym Agaricus muscarius L., sanctioning by Fries, and Index Fungorum registration identifier 161267.
- FDA Alerts Industry and Consumers about the Use of Amanita Muscaria or its Constituents in Food - U.S. determination that the mushroom, extracts, muscimol, ibotenic acid and muscarine are not GRAS and are unapproved food additives.
- Need for a Public Health Response to the Unregulated Sales of Amanita muscaria Mushrooms - Unscheduled status under the U.S. Controlled Substances Act, commercial edible products, and selected national sales restrictions (with the caveat that some listed jurisdictions come from manufacturer claims).
- Amanita muscaria, Amanita pantherina and others (PIM G026) - Pantherina-muscaria poisoning syndrome, isoxazole toxins in all parts of the fruit body, colour variants, and worldwide temperate distribution.
- Amanita muscaria: chemistry, biology, toxicology and ethnomycology - Ibotenic acid and muscimol as principal actives; HPLC concentrations in cap versus stipe; typical fresh fruit-body mass and ibotenic-acid content.
Open questions
- Which current taxonomic authority should define this registry entry, and how should records using broader historical fly-agaric concepts be retained without creating unrequested registry splits?
- Which regional look-alikes require explicit comparison, and what minimum character set supports a defensible identification in each region?
- Which sequence markers and curated reference specimens reliably distinguish Amanita muscaria from its closest regional relatives?
- What evidence is sufficient to infer a host relationship or continuity of a fungal individual across separate fruiting events?
- How representative are chemical measurements across tissues, developmental stages, localities and preservation histories, and which inferences must remain sample-specific?
Machine files
Provenance
thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed
Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q131227/spec.json