clouded magpie vs Desertas Wolf Spider

Abraxas sylvata compared with Hogna ingens

Key Differences

• clouded magpie is Vulnerable while Desertas Wolf Spider is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	clouded magpie	Desertas Wolf Spider
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Arachnida (Arachnids)
Order	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Araneae (Araneae)
Family	Geometridae	Lycosidae
Genus	Abraxas	Hogna
Species	Abraxas sylvata	Hogna ingens

Evolutionary Relationship

clouded magpie and Desertas Wolf Spider share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Arthropoda. (Arthropods)

Conservation Status

clouded magpie

VU — Vulnerable

Desertas Wolf Spider

CR — Critically Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	clouded magpie	Desertas Wolf Spider
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

clouded magpie

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Desertas Wolf Spider

Habitat

Typically found in terrestrial habitats from forests to deserts.

Range

Found in Portugal. Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

clouded magpie

The clouded magpie (Abraxas sylvata) is a geometrid moth in the family Geometridae found across temperate Europe, extending eastward through Russia to Japan. The adult wingspan measures approximately 32–42 mm, with white wings bearing a distinctive pattern of yellow-orange and dark grey to black spots and patches arranged in rows across the forewing and hindwing, creating a striking patterned appearance resembling the magpie coloring of the related magpie moth Abraxas grossulariata, but with a more yellowish, muted tone and less black — hence 'clouded.' Adults fly in one generation from June to July, resting on leaf surfaces and attending woodland flowers for nectar. The larvae feed on wych elm (Ulmus glabra) and occasionally other Ulmus species in mature deciduous woodland and woodland edges. The clouded magpie has become less common in parts of its European range due to the widespread loss of mature elms from Dutch elm disease, which devastated European elm populations from the 1970s onward. Conservation of this species requires the protection of surviving mature elm trees and management of regrowth elms in woodland ecosystems.