Clouded Yellow vs common grey sea slug

Colias croceus compared with Aeolidia papillosa

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Clouded Yellow	common grey sea slug
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Mollusca (Mollusks)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Gastropoda (Gastropoda)
Order	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Nudibranchia (Nudibranchia)
Family	Pieridae	Aeolidiidae
Genus	Colias	Aeolidia
Species	Colias croceus	Aeolidia papillosa

Evolutionary Relationship

Clouded Yellow and common grey sea slug share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Clouded Yellow

LC — Least Concern

common grey sea slug

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Clouded Yellow	common grey sea slug
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Clouded Yellow

Habitat

Inhabits Mediterranean forests and woodlands within the Palearctic biogeographic realm.

Range

Found across Asia (Cyprus) and Europe (40 countries).

common grey sea slug

Habitat

Typically found in terrestrial and aquatic habitats including forests and freshwater.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Chile, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

Clouded Yellow

Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus) is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List. Widespread and abundant across its range, with stable populations and no immediate conservation concerns.

common grey sea slug

<em>Aeolidia papillosa</em>, commonly known as the common grey sea slug, is a nudibranch mollusc belonging to the genus Aeolidia within the family Aeolidiidae. Despite the species name referencing terrestrial and aquatic habitats including forests and freshwater, <em>Aeolidia papillosa</em> is primarily a marine organism. Its range includes Belgium, Chile, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, indicating a distribution across the North Atlantic and into South American waters. Common grey sea slug is assessed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. The species is typically found in intertidal and subtidal zones, where it preys on sea anemones and stores stinging cells from its prey in its dorsal cerata for defense. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden