clouded magpie vs Mountain Clouded Yellow

Abraxas sylvata compared with Colias phicomone

Key Differences

• clouded magpie is Vulnerable while Mountain Clouded Yellow is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	clouded magpie	Mountain Clouded Yellow
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class same	Insecta (Insects)	Insecta (Insects)
Order same	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Geometridae	Pieridae
Genus	Abraxas	Colias
Species	Abraxas sylvata	Colias phicomone

Evolutionary Relationship

clouded magpie and Mountain Clouded Yellow share a common ancestor at the Order level: Lepidoptera. (Butterflies & Moths)

Conservation Status

clouded magpie

VU — Vulnerable

Mountain Clouded Yellow

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	clouded magpie	Mountain Clouded Yellow
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.

Mountain Clouded Yellow

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found across Europe (10 countries). Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

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.