vs Coastal Flat-body

Asperococcus ensiformis compared with Agonopterix yeatiana

Key Differences

is Data Deficient while Coastal Flat-body is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank		Coastal Flat-body
Kingdom	Chromista (Chromista)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Ochrophyta (Ochrophyta)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Phaeophyceae (Phaeophyceae)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Ectocarpales (Ectocarpales)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Chordariaceae	Depressariidae
Genus	Asperococcus	Agonopterix
Species	Asperococcus ensiformis	Agonopterix yeatiana

Conservation Status

DD — Data Deficient

Coastal Flat-body

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute		Coastal Flat-body
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, tundra, and tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests spanning the Australasia and Oceanian realms.

Range

Distributed across Denmark, New Zealand, and Norway.

Coastal Flat-body

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, and Sweden. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Asperococcus ensiformis is a tubular to flattened brown alga forming elongated, sac-like or sword-shaped thalli attached to rocky substrates. It inhabits intertidal and shallow subtidal rocky shores of the North Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts. This photosynthetic macroalga grows on rocks and larger algae in wave-exposed coastal zones.

Coastal Flat-body

Agonopterix yeatiana, the coastal flat-body, is a small moth in the family Depressariidae native to coastal and calcareous grassland habitats across western and northern Europe, with records from Belgium, Denmark, and Sweden. Moths in the family Depressariidae, commonly called flat-body moths due to the depressed posture they adopt when resting with wings held flat against the surface, are associated predominantly with umbellifer plants of the family Apiaceae as larval hosts. Agonopterix yeatiana larvae feed on wild carrot (Daucus carota), wild parsnip (Pastinaca sativa), and related coastal and grassland Apiaceae species, inhabiting the open, often calcareous or sandy habitats where these plants grow. Adult moths have greyish-brown forewing with a distinctive pattern of spots and dashes and reach approximately 8–12 millimeters in wingspan. The species is classified as Near Threatened by the IUCN, reflecting declines associated with the loss of traditional hay meadow management, coastal grassland degradation, and scrub encroachment that eliminates the open, flower-rich grassland habitats supporting its host plants. Agricultural intensification has reduced wild umbellifer populations significantly across lowland Europe, reducing food resources for larvae of specialist moths like A. yeatiana.