vs Coastal Flat-body

Chroomonas monococca compared with Agonopterix yeatiana

Key Differences

is Not Evaluated while Coastal Flat-body is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank		Coastal Flat-body
Kingdom	Chromista (Chromista)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Cryptophyta	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Cryptophyceae (Cryptophyceae)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Pyrenomonadales (Pyrenomonadales)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Chroomonadaceae	Depressariidae
Genus	Chroomonas	Agonopterix
Species	Chroomonas monococca	Agonopterix yeatiana

Conservation Status

NE — Not Evaluated

Coastal Flat-body

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute		Coastal Flat-body
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Habitat

Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Norway and Sweden.

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.

Chroomonas monococca is a species of cryptophyte alga in the family Chroomonadaceae, found in freshwater and potentially brackish aquatic environments in Europe. The specific epithet monococca, derived from the Greek for single grain, may refer to a distinctive unicellular morphology or the simple, solitary occurrence of cells without colonial aggregation. Cryptophytes in the genus Chroomonas are typically solitary, motile flagellates, so this epithet may emphasize a particular cell shape characteristic. Chroomonas species contain a characteristic plastid of secondary red algal origin, with a retained nucleomorph and a pigment complement including chlorophyll a, chlorophyll c, beta-carotene, and one of several phycobiliproteins depending on the species. These photosynthetic pigments collectively enable efficient absorption of light across a broad spectrum, contributing to the ecological success of cryptophytes across a range of light environments. Chroomonas monococca inhabits freshwater phytoplankton and periphyton communities and contributes to primary production in its aquatic habitat. It has been recorded from European freshwater localities and is one of numerous described species in this taxonomically diverse genus. Conservation status has not been assessed by the IUCN.

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.