Chopard's Cave-cricket vs Coastal Flat-body

Dolichopoda chopardi compared with Agonopterix yeatiana

Key Differences

• Chopard's Cave-cricket is Data Deficient while Coastal Flat-body is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Chopard's Cave-cricket	Coastal Flat-body
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class same	Insecta (Insects)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Orthoptera (Orthoptera)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Rhaphidophoridae	Depressariidae
Genus	Dolichopoda	Agonopterix
Species	Dolichopoda chopardi	Agonopterix yeatiana

Evolutionary Relationship

Chopard's Cave-cricket and Coastal Flat-body share a common ancestor at the Class level: Insecta. (Insects)

Conservation Status

Chopard's Cave-cricket

DD — Data Deficient

Coastal Flat-body

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Chopard's Cave-cricket	Coastal Flat-body
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Chopard's Cave-cricket

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

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.

Chopard's Cave-cricket

Chopard's Cave Cricket (Dolichopoda chopardi) is a camel cricket or cave cricket in the family Rhaphidophoridae, found in cave systems and subterranean environments of the western Mediterranean region, including areas of southern France, northern Italy, and possibly adjacent territories. Cave crickets of the genus Dolichopoda are obligate or near-obligate cave dwellers (troglobionts or troglophiles), characterised by their extreme leg elongation — particularly the hind legs and antennae, which are several times longer than the body — reduced eyes or eyelessness, lack of wings, and depigmented or pale yellowish-brown body colouration. These adaptations reflect evolutionary response to permanent cave darkness. Dolichopoda cave crickets feed as omnivores on organic detritus, bat guano, fungi, and invertebrates carried into cave systems by water or wind. They are sensitive bio-indicators of cave ecosystem health. The species is named in honour of Lucien Chopard, a French entomologist. The IUCN classifies this species as Data Deficient, reflecting limited survey data on its distribution and population status across cave systems within its range. Cave-dwelling invertebrates face threats from groundwater pollution, cave tourism impacts, changes in cave hydrology, and the spread of white-nose syndrome affecting bat populations whose guano provides food resources.

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.