Common Spreadwing vs Globe Thistle

Lestes sponsa compared with Echinops exaltatus

Key Differences

• Common Spreadwing is Least Concern while Globe Thistle is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Spreadwing	Globe Thistle
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Odonata (Odonata)	Afrosoricida (Afrosoricida)
Family	Lestidae	Tenrecidae
Genus	Lestes	Echinops
Species	Lestes sponsa	Echinops exaltatus

Evolutionary Relationship

Common Spreadwing and Globe Thistle share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Common Spreadwing

LC — Least Concern

Globe Thistle

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Spreadwing	Globe Thistle
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.

Globe Thistle

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Found across Europe (13 countries) and North America (Canada, United States).

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.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

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