Common Spreadwing vs Elegant Water Shrew

Lestes sponsa compared with Nectogale elegans

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Spreadwing	Elegant Water Shrew
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Odonata (Odonata)	Soricomorpha (Soricomorpha)
Family	Lestidae	Soricidae
Genus	Lestes	Nectogale
Species	Lestes sponsa	Nectogale elegans

Evolutionary Relationship

Common Spreadwing and Elegant Water Shrew share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Common Spreadwing

LC — Least Concern

Elegant Water Shrew

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Spreadwing	Elegant Water Shrew
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common Spreadwing

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, and Sweden.

Elegant Water Shrew

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Common Spreadwing

Common Spreadwing (Lestes sponsa) 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.