 Coprinellus micaceus has a cosmopolitan distribution , and has been collected in northern Africa , South Africa , Europe ( including Turkey ) , North America ( as far north as Alaska ) , the Hawaiian islands , South America , India , Australia , New Zealand , and Japan . Phylogenetic analysis of rDNA sequences from specimens collected in southeastern Asia and Hawaii show that the Hawaiian species form a distinct clade with little genetic diversity compared to Asian populations ; this suggests that the Hawaiian populations have been introduced relatively recently and have not had much time to develop genetic variation . One study suggests that in South Africa , where C. micaceus is rare , it has been frequently confused with the similar @-@ appearing C. truncorum , a more common species in that region . A similar inference has been raised about North American species . 
