Butterfly-leaf vs Clover slender

Adenolobus garipensis compared with Parectopa ononidis

Key Differences

• Butterfly-leaf is Least Concern while Clover slender is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Butterfly-leaf	Clover slender
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	Gracillariidae
Genus	Adenolobus	Parectopa
Species	Adenolobus garipensis	Parectopa ononidis

Conservation Status

Butterfly-leaf

LC — Least Concern

Clover slender

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Butterfly-leaf	Clover slender
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Butterfly-leaf

Habitat

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

Clover slender

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, temperate coniferous forests, and boreal forests and taiga, among 8 distinct biome types within the Palearctic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Found across Europe (7 countries). Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Butterfly-leaf

The Butterfly-leaf (Adenolobus garipensis) is a species in the genus Adenolobus. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Clover slender

The clover slender moth (Parectopa ononidis) is a small leaf-mining moth in the family Gracillariidae. Native to Europe, this species specializes on restharrow plants (Ononis species) in the legume family Fabaceae as its larval host. Like other Parectopa species, the larvae create distinctive blotch mines in the leaves of their host plants, feeding on the leaf tissue within the epidermis. The adult moth is typically small and narrow-winged, characteristic of the gracillariid family, with patterned forewings. This species inhabits dry grasslands, calcareous meadows, and scrubby areas where its restharrow host plants grow. It has been recorded across parts of central and western Europe, including the British Isles and continental regions. Parectopa ononidis is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, reflecting its restricted habitat requirements and sensitivity to agricultural intensification, which has led to widespread loss of the dry calcareous grasslands it depends on. Conservation efforts for this species focus on maintaining traditional land management practices such as light grazing that support diverse wildflower communities including restharrow.