Big Ears vs Coastal Silver-stiletto

Otidea apophysata compared with Acrosathe annulata

Key Differences

Big Ears is Not Evaluated while Coastal Silver-stiletto is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Big Ears	Coastal Silver-stiletto
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Pezizomycetes (Pezizomycetes)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Pezizales (Pezizales)	Diptera (Diptera)
Family	Otideaceae	Therevidae
Genus	Otidea	Acrosathe
Species	Otidea apophysata	Acrosathe annulata

Conservation Status

Big Ears

NE — Not Evaluated

Coastal Silver-stiletto

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Big Ears	Coastal Silver-stiletto
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Big Ears

Habitat

Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Denmark and Norway.

Coastal Silver-stiletto

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

Big Ears

The Big Ears (Otidea apophysata) is a species in the genus Otidea. Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Coastal silver stiletto (Acrosathe annulata) is a slender robber fly in the family Therevidae, native to northwestern Europe, including the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Scandinavia. Adults are found on coastal sand dunes and sandy heathland, where they perch on bare sand to ambush small flying insects. Stiletto flies in the family Therevidae are characterised by a slender body, long pointed abdomen, and predatory habits; adults prey on a variety of small dipterans and other flying insects during warm, sunny periods. Larvae develop in sandy soil, where they are also predatory, feeding on other invertebrate larvae. Acrosathe annulata is a habitat specialist restricted to open, sandy coastal habitats with sparse vegetation—environments that have declined substantially across northwestern Europe due to dune stabilisation, recreational disturbance, and the cessation of traditional dune management. The IUCN lists it as Least Concern, though regional conservation bodies in the United Kingdom have flagged population declines. It is considered an indicator of high-quality coastal sand dune habitats and is monitored through national invertebrate surveys.