Coastal Flat-body vs Common Fleabane

Agonopterix yeatiana compared with Erigeron philadelphicus

Key Differences

Coastal Flat-body is Near Threatened while Common Fleabane is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Coastal Flat-body	Common Fleabane
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Asterales (Daisies & Sunflowers)
Family	Depressariidae	Asteraceae (Daisy Family)
Genus	Agonopterix	Erigeron
Species	Agonopterix yeatiana	Erigeron philadelphicus

Conservation Status

Coastal Flat-body

NT — Near Threatened

Common Fleabane

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Coastal Flat-body	Common Fleabane
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 Fleabane

Habitat

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

Range

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

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 Fleabane

<em>Erigeron philadelphicus</em> is an annual or biennial herbaceous plant in the family Asteraceae, order Asterales, commonly known as Philadelphia fleabane or common fleabane. This species produces numerous small, pale pink to white daisy-like flowerheads with many narrow ray florets surrounding a yellow disc center. <em>Erigeron philadelphicus</em> has a broad distribution spanning Asia, Europe, and North America, where it is native and widely naturalized. It typically grows in moist, disturbed habitats such as meadows, roadsides, stream banks, and open woodland, tolerating a wide range of soil types and moisture conditions. The plant is generally considered a common weed in many parts of its range and is notable for its prolific seed production, which facilitates rapid colonization of disturbed ground. Despite its weedy tendencies, the species provides valuable nectar resources for pollinators. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.