Coastal Silver-stiletto vs Common Grey

Acrosathe annulata compared with Scoparia ambigualis

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Coastal Silver-stiletto	Common Grey
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class same	Insecta (Insects)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Diptera (Diptera)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Therevidae	Crambidae
Genus	Acrosathe	Scoparia
Species	Acrosathe annulata	Scoparia ambigualis

Evolutionary Relationship

Coastal Silver-stiletto and Common Grey share a common ancestor at the Class level: Insecta. (Insects)

Conservation Status

Coastal Silver-stiletto

LC — Least Concern

Common Grey

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Coastal Silver-stiletto	Common Grey
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Coastal Silver-stiletto

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

Common Grey

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

Coastal Silver-stiletto

Coastal silver stiletto (Acrosathe annulata) is a slender robber fly in the family Therevidae, native to northwestern Europe, including the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Scandinavia. Adults are found on coastal sand dunes and sandy heathland, where they perch on bare sand to ambush small flying insects. Stiletto flies in the family Therevidae are characterised by a slender body, long pointed abdomen, and predatory habits; adults prey on a variety of small dipterans and other flying insects during warm, sunny periods. Larvae develop in sandy soil, where they are also predatory, feeding on other invertebrate larvae. Acrosathe annulata is a habitat specialist restricted to open, sandy coastal habitats with sparse vegetation—environments that have declined substantially across northwestern Europe due to dune stabilisation, recreational disturbance, and the cessation of traditional dune management. The IUCN lists it as Least Concern, though regional conservation bodies in the United Kingdom have flagged population declines. It is considered an indicator of high-quality coastal sand dune habitats and is monitored through national invertebrate surveys.

Common Grey

<em>Scoparia ambigualis</em>, commonly known as the common grey, is a small moth belonging to the genus Scoparia within the family Crambidae. This species inhabits virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats and has a documented range across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden in northwestern and Scandinavian Europe. Common grey is assessed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. The species is typically encountered in a variety of open and semi-open habitats including heathland, grassland, and woodland edges, where its cryptically patterned grey and white forewings provide effective camouflage at rest. Adults are typically nocturnal and are attracted to light. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden