clouded magpie vs Poison Ivy Rust

Abraxas sylvata compared with Pileolaria brevipes

Key Differences

• clouded magpie is Vulnerable while Poison Ivy Rust is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	clouded magpie	Poison Ivy Rust
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Annelida (Segmented Worms)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Polychaeta (Polychaeta)
Order	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Sabellida (Sabellida)
Family	Geometridae	Serpulidae
Genus	Abraxas	Pileolaria
Species	Abraxas sylvata	Pileolaria brevipes

Evolutionary Relationship

clouded magpie and Poison Ivy Rust share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

clouded magpie

VU — Vulnerable

Poison Ivy Rust

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	clouded magpie	Poison Ivy Rust
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.

Poison Ivy Rust

Habitat

Native to Asia and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Taiwan and United States.

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.