Beach Pea vs Common Yellow Conch

Lathyrus japonicus compared with Agapeta hamana

Key Differences

• Beach Pea is Extinct while Common Yellow Conch is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Beach Pea	Common Yellow Conch
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Fabales (Legumes & Allies)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Fabaceae	Tortricidae
Genus	Lathyrus	Agapeta
Species	Lathyrus japonicus	Agapeta hamana

Conservation Status

Beach Pea

EX — Extinct

Common Yellow Conch

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Beach Pea	Common Yellow Conch
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Beach Pea

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Found across Europe (7 countries) and North America (Canada, United States).

Common Yellow Conch

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

Beach Pea

The Beach Pea (Lathyrus japonicus) is a species in the genus Lathyrus. It is currently classified as Extinct on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Common Yellow Conch

<em>Agapeta hamana</em>, the common yellow conch moth, is a small moth in the family Tortricidae. It is widely distributed across Europe and central Asia, ranging from Britain and Scandinavia eastward through much of the Palearctic region. The species inhabits dry grasslands, heathlands, chalk downlands, and scrubby habitats where its larval host plants are found. Adult moths display distinctive pale yellow to golden-yellow forewings with irregular brown or reddish-brown markings near the wingtip, forming a pattern that resembles the shell of a conch, lending the species its common name. The wingspan typically measures around 15–22 mm. Biological traits such as average adult lifespan, precise body weight, and detailed population data remain poorly documented in consolidated scientific literature. Larvae feed internally on the roots of thistles and knapweeds, particularly <em>Centaurea</em> and <em>Cirsium</em> species. Adults fly from June to August and are frequently attracted to light. <em>Agapeta hamana</em> has been investigated as a potential biological control agent for invasive knapweed species in North America, where it has been introduced experimentally. The species is assessed as Least Concern given its broad distribution and stable habitat associations.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden