Protostropharia alcis is a dung-inhabiting mushroom that produces medium-sized fruiting bodies, usually with a convex to broadly conic cap that may be sticky and shades of light brown. The gills are pale grey at first, later turning purplish grey to purple-black as the spores mature. The stem is slender, often with a persistent white ring and shaggy or scaly zones below it. This species is typically found growing on moose and elk droppings, sometimes in groups, and is adapted to nutrient-rich dung habitats.

Cap at first hemispherical to broadly conical, later becoming convex to nearly flat with a slight umbo. The surface is smooth, viscid when moist, and coloured light yellow-brown to golden-brown, often fading paler towards the margin with age. Young specimens may show faint veil remnants near the edge. Gills crowded and adnexed to adnate, initially pale grey, gradually darkening through brownish-grey to deep purple-black as spores mature. Stem slender and equal, whitish to pale yellowish, bearing a distinct but often short-lived ring. Above the ring the stem is dusted with dark spores, while the lower portion is fibrous and may show faint shaggy scales or girdles. Spore print dark purple-brown.

Microscopic Features: Spores smooth, ellipsoidal to ovoid, thick-walled, measuring 15–19 × 8–10 μm, lacking a germ pore.

Protostropharia alcis on the inaturalist.org Web site.