Clover weevil vs Coastal Flat-body

Sitona hispidulus compared with Agonopterix yeatiana

Key Differences

• Clover weevil is Least Concern while Coastal Flat-body is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Clover weevil	Coastal Flat-body
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class same	Insecta (Insects)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Coleoptera (Beetles)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Curculionidae	Depressariidae
Genus	Sitona	Agonopterix
Species	Sitona hispidulus	Agonopterix yeatiana

Evolutionary Relationship

Clover weevil and Coastal Flat-body share a common ancestor at the Class level: Insecta. (Insects)

Conservation Status

Clover weevil

LC — Least Concern

Coastal Flat-body

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Clover weevil	Coastal Flat-body
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Clover weevil

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, temperate coniferous forests, and montane grasslands and shrublands, among 5 distinct biome types within the Palearctic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (8 countries), Europe (12 countries), and North America (Canada, United States).

Coastal Flat-body

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, and Sweden. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Clover weevil

The clover weevil (Sitona hispidulus) is a small herbivorous beetle in the family Curculionidae, subfamily Entiminae. Native to the Palearctic region across Europe and Asia, this species has been introduced to North America, where it is now widespread across agricultural regions. Adults and larvae feed on clovers and other legumes in the genus Trifolium and related plants. Adults feed on the leaves, creating characteristic semicircular notches along leaf margins, a feeding pattern typical of Sitona weevils. Larvae feed underground on nitrogen-fixing root nodules, which can reduce the agronomic value of legume crops by damaging the symbiotic Rhizobium bacteria. The clover weevil is consequently regarded as an agricultural pest in clover-growing regions. Adults are grey-brown and densely covered in scales, measuring about 3–5 mm in length. The species overwinters as adults in soil or leaf litter, emerging in spring to feed and reproduce. It inhabits cultivated fields, pastures, meadows, roadsides, and any habitat supporting clover and related legumes. Listed as Least Concern by the IUCN given its wide distribution and abundance.

Coastal Flat-body

Agonopterix yeatiana, the coastal flat-body, is a small moth in the family Depressariidae native to coastal and calcareous grassland habitats across western and northern Europe, with records from Belgium, Denmark, and Sweden. Moths in the family Depressariidae, commonly called flat-body moths due to the depressed posture they adopt when resting with wings held flat against the surface, are associated predominantly with umbellifer plants of the family Apiaceae as larval hosts. Agonopterix yeatiana larvae feed on wild carrot (Daucus carota), wild parsnip (Pastinaca sativa), and related coastal and grassland Apiaceae species, inhabiting the open, often calcareous or sandy habitats where these plants grow. Adult moths have greyish-brown forewing with a distinctive pattern of spots and dashes and reach approximately 8–12 millimeters in wingspan. The species is classified as Near Threatened by the IUCN, reflecting declines associated with the loss of traditional hay meadow management, coastal grassland degradation, and scrub encroachment that eliminates the open, flower-rich grassland habitats supporting its host plants. Agricultural intensification has reduced wild umbellifer populations significantly across lowland Europe, reducing food resources for larvae of specialist moths like A. yeatiana.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇸🇪 Sweden