Coastal Flat-body vs Crisp Beardless-moss

Agonopterix yeatiana compared with Weissia longifolia

Key Differences

Coastal Flat-body is Near Threatened while Crisp Beardless-moss is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Coastal Flat-body	Crisp Beardless-moss
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Bryophyta
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Bryopsida (Bryopsida)
Order	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Pottiales (Pottiales)
Family	Depressariidae	Pottiaceae
Genus	Agonopterix	Weissia
Species	Agonopterix yeatiana	Weissia longifolia

Conservation Status

Coastal Flat-body

NT — Near Threatened

Crisp Beardless-moss

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Coastal Flat-body	Crisp Beardless-moss
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.

Crisp Beardless-moss

Habitat

Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Found across Europe (6 countries). Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

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.