Changing Forget-Me-Not vs Coastal Silver-stiletto

Myosotis discolor compared with Acrosathe annulata

Key Differences

  • Changing Forget-Me-Not is Endangered while Coastal Silver-stiletto is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank Changing Forget-Me-Not Coastal Silver-stiletto
Kingdom Plantae (Plants) Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants) Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class Magnoliopsida (Dicots) Insecta (Insects)
Order Boraginales (Boraginales) Diptera (Diptera)
Family Boraginaceae Therevidae
Genus Myosotis Acrosathe
Species Myosotis discolor Acrosathe annulata

Conservation Status

Changing Forget-Me-Not

EN — Endangered

Coastal Silver-stiletto

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute Changing Forget-Me-Not Coastal Silver-stiletto
Diet
Average Lifespan
Average Length
Average Weight

Habitat & Geographic Range

Changing Forget-Me-Not

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, montane grasslands and shrublands, and Mediterranean forests and woodlands, among 11 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (South Africa), Asia (Georgia, Japan), Europe (8 countries), North America (Canada, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia), and South America (Argentina, Chile, Ecuador). Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Coastal Silver-stiletto

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

Changing Forget-Me-Not

The Changing Forget-Me-Not (Myosotis discolor) is a species in the genus Myosotis. It is currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, montane grasslands and shrublands, and Mediterranean forests and woodlands, among 11 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane

Coastal Silver-stiletto

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.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

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