Ceylon Spiny Mouse vs Coastal Flat-body

Mus fernandoni compared with Agonopterix yeatiana

Key Differences

• Ceylon Spiny Mouse is Endangered while Coastal Flat-body is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Ceylon Spiny Mouse	Coastal Flat-body
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)	Depressariidae
Genus	Mus (House Mice)	Agonopterix
Species	Mus fernandoni	Agonopterix yeatiana

Evolutionary Relationship

Ceylon Spiny Mouse and Coastal Flat-body share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Ceylon Spiny Mouse

EN — Endangered

Coastal Flat-body

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Ceylon Spiny Mouse	Coastal Flat-body
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Ceylon Spiny Mouse

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

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.

Ceylon Spiny Mouse

The Ceylon Spiny Mouse (Mus fernandoni) is a species in the genus Mus. It is currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List.

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.