Broad-Bordered White Underwing vs Cotton Thistle

Anarta melanopa compared with Onopordum acanthium

Key Differences

• Broad-Bordered White Underwing is Least Concern while Cotton Thistle is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Broad-Bordered White Underwing	Cotton Thistle
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Asterales (Daisies & Sunflowers)
Family	Noctuidae	Asteraceae (Daisy Family)
Genus	Anarta	Onopordum
Species	Anarta melanopa	Onopordum acanthium

Conservation Status

Broad-Bordered White Underwing

LC — Least Concern

Cotton Thistle

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Broad-Bordered White Underwing	Cotton Thistle
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Broad-Bordered White Underwing

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Norway and Sweden.

Cotton Thistle

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, tundra, and tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, among 10 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Georgia, India, Japan), Europe (22 countries), North America (Canada, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia, New Zealand), and South America (Argentina, Brazil, Chile). Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Broad-Bordered White Underwing

The Broad-Bordered White Underwing (Anarta melanopa) is a species in the genus Anarta. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden