alcon blue vs common grey sea slug

Maculinea alcon compared with Aeolidia papillosa

Key Differences

• alcon blue is Endangered while common grey sea slug is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	alcon blue	common grey sea slug
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Mollusca (Mollusks)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Gastropoda (Gastropoda)
Order	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Nudibranchia (Nudibranchia)
Family	Lycaenidae	Aeolidiidae
Genus	Maculinea	Aeolidia
Species	Maculinea alcon	Aeolidia papillosa

Evolutionary Relationship

alcon blue and common grey sea slug share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

alcon blue

EN — Endangered

common grey sea slug

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	alcon blue	common grey sea slug
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

alcon blue

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium and Sweden. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

common grey sea slug

Habitat

Typically found in terrestrial and aquatic habitats including forests and freshwater.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Chile, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

alcon blue

The Alcon blue (Maculinea alcon) is a species in the genus Maculinea. It is currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

common grey sea slug

<em>Aeolidia papillosa</em>, commonly known as the common grey sea slug, is a nudibranch mollusc belonging to the genus Aeolidia within the family Aeolidiidae. Despite the species name referencing terrestrial and aquatic habitats including forests and freshwater, <em>Aeolidia papillosa</em> is primarily a marine organism. Its range includes Belgium, Chile, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, indicating a distribution across the North Atlantic and into South American waters. Common grey sea slug is assessed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. The species is typically found in intertidal and subtidal zones, where it preys on sea anemones and stores stinging cells from its prey in its dorsal cerata for defense. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇸🇪 Sweden