Coastal Flat-body vs common dog-violet

Agonopterix yeatiana compared with Viola riviniana

Key Differences

Coastal Flat-body is Near Threatened while common dog-violet is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Coastal Flat-body	common dog-violet
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Malpighiales (Malpighiales)
Family	Depressariidae	Violaceae
Genus	Agonopterix	Viola
Species	Agonopterix yeatiana	Viola riviniana

Conservation Status

Coastal Flat-body

NT — Near Threatened

common dog-violet

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Coastal Flat-body	common dog-violet
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

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.

common dog-violet

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (7 countries), North America (Canada), and Oceania and the Pacific (Australia).

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.

common dog-violet

<em>Viola riviniana</em>, the common dog-violet, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the family Violaceae. This species is widely distributed across Europe, including records from seven European countries, as well as Canada and Australia, where it occupies diverse terrestrial habitats such as woodlands, hedgerows, grasslands, and moorlands. The common dog-violet is characterized by its heart-shaped leaves and violet-blue, spurred flowers that typically bloom from spring through early summer. Unlike many violets, its flowers are unscented. <em>Viola riviniana</em> often spreads both by seed and vegetatively via rhizomes, forming patches in suitable habitats. This species is an important larval food plant for several fritillary butterfly species, making it ecologically significant for butterfly conservation in Britain and Europe. It generally favors well-drained, slightly acidic soils in partially shaded environments. The common dog-violet is assessed as Least Concern, with stable populations across most of its range. Its adaptation to a variety of woodland and grassland habitats contributes to its widespread occurrence.