Common Kidney-Vetch vs Common Leaf Weevil

Anthyllis vulneraria compared with Phyllobius pyri

Key Differences

Common Kidney-Vetch is Vulnerable while Common Leaf Weevil is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Kidney-Vetch	Common Leaf Weevil
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Fabales (Legumes & Allies)	Coleoptera (Beetles)
Family	Fabaceae	Curculionidae
Genus	Anthyllis	Phyllobius
Species	Anthyllis vulneraria	Phyllobius pyri

Conservation Status

Common Kidney-Vetch

VU — Vulnerable

Common Leaf Weevil

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Kidney-Vetch	Common Leaf Weevil
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common Kidney-Vetch

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, and temperate coniferous forests, among 6 distinct biome types spanning the Indomalayan and Oceanian and Palearctic realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Libya), Asia (Japan), Europe (9 countries), North America (Canada, United States), and Oceania and the Pacific (Australia). Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Common Leaf Weevil

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including temperate coniferous forests, montane grasslands and shrublands, and deserts and xeric shrublands within the Palearctic biogeographic realm.

Range

Found across Asia (4 countries) and Europe (33 countries).

Common Kidney-Vetch

Common Kidney-Vetch (<em>Anthyllis vulneraria</em>) is a flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae, assessed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List due to habitat degradation and agricultural intensification across parts of its range. It is widely distributed across Africa (Libya), Asia (Japan), Europe (nine countries), North America (Canada and the United States), and Oceania (Australia), occupying six distinct biome types and occurring within the Indomalayan and Oceanian biogeographic realms. The species typically grows in dry, calcareous grasslands, coastal cliffs, sand dunes, and rocky slopes, often favoring nutrient-poor soils. It is an important larval food plant for certain butterfly species, particularly the Small Blue butterfly in Europe, and contributes to soil fertility through nitrogen fixation via root nodules. Its cheerful yellow, orange, or red flower heads make it a recognizable component of chalk and limestone grassland communities. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.

Common Leaf Weevil

The Common Leaf Weevil (<em>Phyllobius pyri</em>) is a beetle in the family Curculionidae, classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. It is native to four Asian countries and thirty-three European countries, giving it one of the broadest distributions of any weevil species in the Palearctic biogeographic realm. The species typically inhabits temperate coniferous forests, montane grasslands, shrublands, and deserts and xeric shrublands across its extensive range. Adults are typically covered in metallic green or bronze scales that give them a distinctive appearance. They feed on the foliage of a wide range of deciduous trees and shrubs, with larvae developing in the soil where they feed on roots. The Common Leaf Weevil is occasionally regarded as an agricultural and horticultural pest due to its feeding on fruit trees and ornamental plants. Its vast European and Asian range and generalist feeding habits support its Least Concern assessment. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.