Atlantic Ancula vs Shade Moonwort

Ancula gibbosa compared with Botrychium tenebrosum

Key Differences

• Atlantic Ancula is Least Concern while Shade Moonwort is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Atlantic Ancula	Shade Moonwort
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Mollusca (Mollusks)	Tracheophyta
Class	Gastropoda (Gastropoda)	Polypodiopsida (Polypodiopsida)
Order	Nudibranchia (Nudibranchia)	Ophioglossales (Ophioglossales)
Family	Goniodorididae	Ophioglossaceae
Genus	Ancula	Botrychium
Species	Ancula gibbosa	Botrychium tenebrosum

Conservation Status

Atlantic Ancula

LC — Least Concern

Shade Moonwort

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Atlantic Ancula	Shade Moonwort
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Atlantic Ancula

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

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.

Atlantic Ancula

The Atlantic Ancula (Ancula gibbosa) is a species in the genus Ancula. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in terrestrial and aquatic habitats including forests and freshwater.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden