Alder leaf beetle vs Shade Moonwort

Agelastica alni compared with Botrychium tenebrosum

Key Differences

• Alder leaf beetle is Least Concern while Shade Moonwort is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Alder leaf beetle	Shade Moonwort
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Tracheophyta
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Polypodiopsida (Polypodiopsida)
Order	Coleoptera (Beetles)	Ophioglossales (Ophioglossales)
Family	Chrysomelidae	Ophioglossaceae
Genus	Agelastica	Botrychium
Species	Agelastica alni	Botrychium tenebrosum

Conservation Status

Alder leaf beetle

LC — Least Concern

Shade Moonwort

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Alder leaf beetle	Shade Moonwort
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Alder leaf beetle

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and United States.

Shade Moonwort

Habitat

Inhabits boreal forests and taiga within the Palearctic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Canada, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and United States. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Alder leaf beetle

The Alder leaf beetle (Agelastica alni) is a species in the genus Agelastica. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇺🇸 United States