Coastal Flat-body vs Common Groundling

Agonopterix yeatiana compared with Teleiodes vulgella

Key Differences

• Coastal Flat-body is Near Threatened while Common Groundling is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Coastal Flat-body	Common Groundling
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class same	Insecta (Insects)	Insecta (Insects)
Order same	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Depressariidae	Gelechiidae
Genus	Agonopterix	Teleiodes
Species	Agonopterix yeatiana	Teleiodes vulgella

Evolutionary Relationship

Coastal Flat-body and Common Groundling share a common ancestor at the Order level: Lepidoptera. (Butterflies & Moths)

Conservation Status

Coastal Flat-body

NT — Near Threatened

Common Groundling

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Coastal Flat-body	Common Groundling
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 Groundling

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

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 Groundling

The common groundling, <em>Teleiodes vulgella</em>, is a small moth belonging to the order Lepidoptera, family Gelechiidae. This species is distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, indicating a presence throughout northern and central Europe. As a member of the family Gelechiidae, it belongs to a large and diverse group of micromoths. The larvae of Gelechiid moths are typically associated with specific host plants, though detailed ecological data for this particular species are limited. <em>Teleiodes vulgella</em> is assessed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, suggesting its populations are not currently under significant threat within its known range. No dietary information has been provided for this species. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇸🇪 Sweden