Common Blue vs Lesser Noctule

Polyommatus icarus compared with Nyctalus leisleri

Key Differences

• Common Blue is Least Concern while Lesser Noctule is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Blue	Lesser Noctule
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Chiroptera (Bats)
Family	Lycaenidae	Vespertilionidae
Genus	Polyommatus	Nyctalus
Species	Polyommatus icarus	Nyctalus leisleri

Evolutionary Relationship

Common Blue and Lesser Noctule share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Common Blue

LC — Least Concern

Lesser Noctule

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Blue	Lesser Noctule
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).

Lesser Noctule

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Sweden, and Ukraine. Currently classified as Endangered 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.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 5 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇱🇺 Luxembourg 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇺🇦 Ukraine