Beet Armyworm vs Coastal Flat-body

Spodoptera exigua compared with Agonopterix yeatiana

Key Differences

• Beet Armyworm is Not Evaluated while Coastal Flat-body is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Beet Armyworm	Coastal Flat-body
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class same	Insecta (Insects)	Insecta (Insects)
Order same	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Noctuidae	Depressariidae
Genus	Spodoptera	Agonopterix
Species	Spodoptera exigua	Agonopterix yeatiana

Evolutionary Relationship

Beet Armyworm and Coastal Flat-body share a common ancestor at the Order level: Lepidoptera. (Butterflies & Moths)

Conservation Status

Beet Armyworm

NE — Not Evaluated

Coastal Flat-body

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Beet Armyworm

Habitat

Inhabits tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests within the Afrotropic biogeographic realm.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (8 countries), Asia (Taiwan, Yemen), Europe (5 countries), and North America (Mexico, United States).

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.

Beet Armyworm

The Beet Armyworm (Spodoptera exigua) is a species in the genus Spodoptera. Inhabits tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests within the Afrotropic biogeographic realm. The species is documented in scientific literature under the name Spodoptera exigua.

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.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇸🇪 Sweden