Arctic Blue vs Shade Moonwort

Agriades aquilo compared with Botrychium tenebrosum

Key Differences

• Arctic Blue is Near Threatened while Shade Moonwort is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Arctic Blue	Shade Moonwort
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Tracheophyta
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Polypodiopsida (Polypodiopsida)
Order	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Ophioglossales (Ophioglossales)
Family	Lycaenidae	Ophioglossaceae
Genus	Agriades	Botrychium
Species	Agriades aquilo	Botrychium tenebrosum

Conservation Status

Arctic Blue

NT — Near Threatened

Shade Moonwort

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Arctic Blue	Shade Moonwort
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Arctic Blue

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Finland, Norway, Russia, and Sweden. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

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.

Arctic Blue

The Arctic Blue (Agriades aquilo) is a species in the genus Agriades. It is currently classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden