Deadly Conocybe
The deadly conocybe (Conocybe filaris, also called Pholiotina filaris) is listed among amatoxin-containing mushrooms; this page explains the risk, what is and is not known, and what to do after any wild mushroom is eaten.
Content last updated . This page has not been medically reviewed.
Safety first. Supplements can cause side effects and interact with medicines. Read mushroom safety and interactions before you use any mushroom product.
What is Deadly Conocybe good for?
What the body uses it for, and how strong the evidence is. A normal job in the body is not proof that extra supplements add benefit; each card says which.
Connected topics
Open a group to see how each topic connects and how strong the evidence is.
Body systems (3)
- Hepatic / Liver SystemDocumented risk
Amatoxins, the toxins reported in this species, cause liver damage; no human case of this species was found, so the course is taken from amatoxin poisoning in general.
- Liver & DetoxDocumented risk
Amatoxins, the toxins reported in this species, cause liver damage; no human case of this species was found, so the course is taken from amatoxin poisoning in general.
- Digestive SystemDocumented risk
Stomach symptoms are the first phase of amatoxin poisoning in general.
Body parts (2)
Root causes (1)
- Environmental ToxinsDocumented risk
A natural toxin from a wild mushroom; closest available term, see proposed new terms.
Conditions & symptoms (2)
- Liver FailureDocumented risk
Death in severe amatoxin poisoning is through liver and multi-organ failure within 1 to 3 weeks (death cap review).
- Liver Failure, AcuteDocumented risk
Amatoxin poisoning can end in acute liver failure; the link is from amatoxins in general, and no human case of this species was found.
Documented risks and interactions (8)
- Amatoxin liver poisoning (reported toxin, no human case report found). Conocybe filaris is listed among the amatoxin-containing mushrooms. Amatoxins are the toxins behind severe and fatal liver poisonings in the death cap group.
- Delayed symptoms with a false recovery (amatoxin poisoning in general). In amatoxin poisoning there is a quiet period of hours, then stomach symptoms, an apparent recovery and later liver failure.
- Cooking, drying and freezing (no data for this species). For death cap amatoxins, a review states cooking and drying do not destroy them. No cooking study for this species was found.
- Treatment is hospital care. Doctors give fluids and supportive care and may use charcoal, silibinin, N-acetylcysteine, penicillin or liver transplant; evidence is mostly small retrospective studies.
- Toxin amount not measured in an open source. No open source with a measured amatoxin amount for this species was found. A 1975 paper title identifies it as a toxic basidiomycete, but its content was not read.
- Small size and look-alike risk: do not identify wild mushrooms. Published guidance warns that wild mushrooms cannot be reliably identified from text, photos or apps. This page gives no identification help.
- Taxonomy is unsettled (Conocybe or Pholiotina). The veterinary manual lists the species as Conocybe filaris, also known as Pholiotina filaris, and Wikidata records a Pholiotina rugosa taxon for it. References may use any of these names.
- Where it occurs. The veterinary manual says it is found in grassy areas and on decayed wood throughout North America, abundant from late fall to midwinter.
Safety first. The deadly conocybe is a small wild mushroom that is reported to contain amatoxins, the liver poisons found in the death cap. If anyone may have eaten it, or any wild or unknown mushroom, call Poison Help now at 1-800-222-1222 (US), or your local poison centre or emergency number, and do not wait for symptoms. [1] Call 911 (US) if the person collapses, has a seizure, has trouble breathing or cannot be woken. [1] In amatoxin poisoning in general, stomach symptoms start hours after the meal, can then ease for a day or two while the liver is still being damaged, and are followed by liver failure, so feeling better is not a sign of safety. [4] This page gives no identification help, on purpose. See mushroom poisoning: warning signs and urgent help.
The short version. Conocybe filaris is named among the mushrooms that can contain amatoxins in a 2023 review and in the Merck Veterinary Manual, which also calls it Pholiotina filaris. [2][3] A 2003 study of a relative in the genus states that amatoxins are present in C. filaris. [5] It is not a food, not a supplement and not psychoactive. We did not find a published human poisoning report or a measured toxin amount for this species in open sources, so the human details below come from amatoxin poisoning in general, mainly the death cap, and are labelled that way.
Do not identify wild mushrooms from text, photos or apps
Authors of a 2020 amatoxin-test paper note that Galerina and Conocybe species have few diagnostic features, so even expert identification can go wrong. [8] The 2023 review lists this species among the few non-Amanita amatoxin species. [2] A photo or an app cannot replace expert help. See the site's safety reference and cooking edible mushrooms safely.The toxin and how it acts
- What it is. Amatoxins are small, stable ring-shaped proteins. The veterinary manual says that, among the cyclic peptide toxins of this group, only the amatoxins are responsible for severe and fatal poisonings. [3]
- How it harms. In the death cap, amatoxins block an enzyme that cells need to make proteins, which kills liver cells. The gut lining and kidneys can also be affected. [4] We did not find a source that studied this in C. filaris itself.
- Not every relative has it. A 2003 analysis found no amatoxins in a related Conocybe species, so the toxin cannot be assumed for the whole genus. [5] Another genomics study failed to detect cyclic peptides in a different relative. [6] This is one reason to avoid guessing.
Cooking, drying and freezing
No cooking study for this species was found. For the death cap, a 2024 review states that amatoxins are not destroyed by cooking or drying, with about 5% of alpha-amanitin still present after 6 hours of boiling. [4] Treat any amatoxin mushroom the same way: nothing in the kitchen makes it safe.Symptom timeline (amatoxin poisoning in general)
The timeline is from death cap reviews; no case of this species was found.| Phase | When | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Quiet period | about 6 to 18 hours after eating | No symptoms. [4] |
| Stomach phase | 6 to 24 hours | Stomach pain, vomiting and watery diarrhoea. It looks like a stomach bug. [4] |
| Apparent recovery | about 36 to 48 hours | Stomach symptoms settle, but liver tests keep getting worse. [4] |
| Liver failure | within 1 to 3 weeks | Multi-organ failure and death can occur. [4] |
The Merck Veterinary Manual describes the same four steps in animals (long quiet period, stomach phase, false recovery, then liver and kidney damage) for this group of mushrooms. [3] The one dog case we saw mentioned in a toxicology committee report could not be read, so it is not used.
Treatment (what the clinical sources describe)
There is no simple antidote. For amatoxin poisoning, doctors give fluids, correct salts and may use activated charcoal, silibinin, N-acetylcysteine and penicillin; the evidence comes mostly from small retrospective studies, and liver transplant is the only approach with a recognised survival benefit when the outlook is poor. Reported death rates are 10 to 20%. [4] Do not try home remedies or make anyone vomit; follow the poison centre. See death cap for the longer clinical description.Where it occurs
The veterinary manual says it grows in grassy areas and on decayed wood throughout North America, and is abundant from late fall to midwinter. [3] Because it can grow on lawns, children and pets can reach it; keep both away from any wild mushrooms. We found no national or world poisoning counts for this species.Lab data and chemistry
Wikidata and the LOTUS project list no compounds for either name we searched (Conocybe filaris, Q5162123, and Pholiotina rugosa, Q80986685). [7]A. What the laboratory literature reports in this mushroom
| Compound or group | Class | Where in the mushroom / form | Identity | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amatoxins (such as the amanitins) | Ring-shaped proteins, liver toxins | Reported as present; part not stated | No Wikidata/ChEBI record in our file | [2][3][5] |
| Phallotoxins and virotoxins | Other ring-shaped peptides | Listed as possible in the group, not specific to this species | None in our file | [3] |
B. Measured values. No open measured value found for amatoxin content of this species, and USDA FoodData Central has no entry. Quantities for the death cap are on the death cap page; they cannot be applied here.
C. What the numbers do and do not mean
- With no measured value, no mushroom of this species can be called mild or strong.
- A report that a toxin "is present" shows it was found in at least one study; it says nothing about the amount in any mushroom.
- Toxin presence differs even between close relatives, so findings in one species do not transfer. [5][6]
Related pages
Frequently asked questions
What do I do if someone ate a wild mushroom?
Call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222 (US), or the local poison centre or emergency number, right away. Do not wait for symptoms. Call 911 for collapse, seizure or breathing trouble. [1]
Is the deadly conocybe really poisonous?
It is reported to contain amatoxins by a 2023 review and a veterinary manual, and a 2003 study states amatoxins are present. We found no published human case, so treat it as a dangerous amatoxin mushroom. [2][3][5]
Does cooking make it safe?
No. For amatoxins in general, cooking and drying do not remove them. [4]
Can I tell it from harmless mushrooms with an app or a description?
No. Do not identify wild mushrooms from text, photos or apps.
Is it psychoactive?
No. The concern is liver damage.
References
- Poison Control (America's Poison Centers). Need immediate assistance?. Read 2026-10-24.
- Vetter J. Amanitins: The Most Poisonous Molecules of the Fungal World. Molecules 2023. PMC10421264. Read 2026-10-24 (open access; the species appears in its list of amatoxin-containing mushrooms, Table 1).
- Merck Veterinary Manual. Conocybe filaris, Amanita phalloides, A. ocreata, A. bisporigera, Lepiota spp, and Galerina marginata. Read 2026-10-24. A veterinary source; most details concern animals and the group, not this species alone.
- Amanita phalloides-associated liver failure: molecular mechanisms and management. PMC11640968. Read 2026-10-24 (first 100,000 of about 113,700 characters). It concerns the death cap and does not mention this species.
- Hallen HE, Watling R, Adams GC. Taxonomy and toxicity of Conocybe lactea and related species. Mycol Res 2003. PubMed 14531619. Abstract read 2026-10-24.
- The MSDIN family in amanitin-producing mushrooms and evolution of the prolyl oligopeptidase genes. IMA Fungus 2018. PMC6317590. Read in part 2026-10-24 (open access; only the passage on relatives was read).
- Wikidata (CC0), compound-in-taxon statements via the LOTUS project for Conocybe filaris (Q5162123) and Pholiotina rugosa (Q80986685); read from
docs/research/mushroom-lab-sources/lotus-conocybe-filaris.json, retrieved 2026-10-23. No compounds listed. - Lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA) for the detection of lethal amatoxins from mushrooms. PLoS One 2020. PMC7164595. Read in part 2026-10-24 (open access; discussion passage only).