Common Spreadwing vs Lesser White-toothed Shrew

Lestes sponsa compared with Crocidura suaveolens

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Spreadwing	Lesser White-toothed 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	Crocidura
Species	Lestes sponsa	Crocidura suaveolens

Evolutionary Relationship

Common Spreadwing and Lesser White-toothed Shrew share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Common Spreadwing

LC — Least Concern

Lesser White-toothed Shrew

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Spreadwing	Lesser White-toothed 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.

Lesser White-toothed Shrew

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Found across Asia (Cyprus) and Europe (9 countries).

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 2 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇳🇴 Norway