clouded magpie vs Yabby

Abraxas sylvata compared with Cherax destructor

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	clouded magpie	Yabby
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Malacostraca (Crustaceans)
Order	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Decapoda (Decapoda)
Family	Geometridae	Parastacidae
Genus	Abraxas	Cherax
Species	Abraxas sylvata	Cherax destructor

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

clouded magpie

VU — Vulnerable

Yabby

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	clouded magpie	Yabby
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.

Yabby

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, temperate coniferous forests, and temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, among 7 distinct biome types spanning the Indomalayan and Palearctic realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (South Africa), Asia (China), Europe (4 countries), and North America (Mexico). Currently classified as Vulnerable 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.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 1 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway