Brown Rat vs clouded-bordered brindle

Rattus norvegicus compared with Apamea crenata

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Brown Rat	clouded-bordered brindle
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Rodentia (Rodents)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Muridae (Mice & Rats)	Noctuidae
Genus	Rattus	Apamea
Species	Rattus norvegicus	Apamea crenata

Evolutionary Relationship

Brown Rat and clouded-bordered brindle share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Brown Rat

LC — Least Concern

clouded-bordered brindle

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Brown Rat	clouded-bordered brindle
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Brown Rat

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (11 countries), Asia (15 countries), Europe (41 countries), North America (16 countries), Oceania and the Pacific (10 countries), and South America (10 countries).

clouded-bordered brindle

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found across Asia (Taiwan) and Europe (5 countries).

Brown Rat

Brown Rat (Rattus norvegicus) is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List. Widespread and abundant across its range, with stable populations and no immediate conservation concerns.

clouded-bordered brindle

The clouded bordered brindle (Apamea crenata) is a noctuid moth in the family Noctuidae found across temperate Europe and across northern Asia to Japan. The adult wingspan measures approximately 38–45 mm, with intricately patterned grey-brown and buff forewings bearing subtle cross-lines, a scalloped (crenate) outer margin giving the species its name, and distinctive reniform and orbicular markings characteristic of the Apamea genus. Adults fly in one generation from May to July, visiting flowers for nectar at night. The larvae feed internally within the stems and roots of grasses, particularly Brachypodium and other coarse grass species in woodland rides, woodland margins, and rough grassland habitats. Overwintering occurs as a larva within plant stems. Like many grass-feeding noctuids, the clouded bordered brindle requires structural diversity in its grassland and woodland edge habitats, with areas of tall, tussocky grasses providing both larval foodplants and adult shelter. Population trends in parts of its European range reflect changes in land management affecting coarse grassland and woodland ride quality.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 6 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇮🇸 Iceland 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇹🇼 Taiwan