Coastal Flat-body vs

Agonopterix yeatiana compared with Ensifer arboris

Key Differences

  • Coastal Flat-body is Near Threatened while is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank Coastal Flat-body
Kingdom Animalia (Animals) Bacteria (Bacteria)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods) Proteobacteria (Proteobacteria)
Class Insecta (Insects) Alphaproteobacteria (Alphaproteobacteria)
Order Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths) Rhizobiales (Rhizobiales)
Family Depressariidae Rhizobiaceae
Genus Agonopterix Ensifer
Species Agonopterix yeatiana Ensifer arboris

Conservation Status

Coastal Flat-body

NT — Near Threatened

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute Coastal Flat-body
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.

Habitat

Native to Asia, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Found in Taiwan.

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.

Ensifer arboris is a Gram-negative, nitrogen-fixing bacterium forming effective root nodules on leguminous trees in arid and semi-arid regions of Africa and Asia. It inhabits the rhizosphere and root nodules of Prosopis and other acacia-like leguminous trees in tropical and subtropical environments. This bacterium converts atmospheric nitrogen into biologically available ammonia for its host trees.

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