Common Blue vs Eurasian pygmy shrew

Polyommatus icarus compared with Sorex minutus

Key Differences

• Common Blue is Least Concern while Eurasian pygmy shrew is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Blue	Eurasian pygmy shrew
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Soricomorpha (Soricomorpha)
Family	Lycaenidae	Soricidae
Genus	Polyommatus	Sorex
Species	Polyommatus icarus	Sorex minutus

Evolutionary Relationship

Common Blue and Eurasian pygmy shrew share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Common Blue

LC — Least Concern

Eurasian pygmy shrew

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Blue	Eurasian pygmy shrew
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common Blue

Habitat

Inhabits Mediterranean forests and woodlands within the Palearctic biogeographic realm.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Cyprus), Europe (40 countries), and North America (United States).

Eurasian pygmy shrew

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

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

Common Blue

Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus) is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List. Widespread and abundant across its range, with stable populations and no immediate conservation concerns.

Eurasian pygmy shrew

Eurasian pygmy shrew (Sorex minutus) is classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List. Facing a high risk of endangerment in the wild, with declining populations and increasing habitat pressure.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 6 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇮🇪 Ireland 🇳🇴 Norway 🇷🇺 Russia 🇸🇪 Sweden