Elegant Water Shrew vs Emerald Spreadwing

Nectogale elegans compared with Lestes dryas

Key Differences

• Elegant Water Shrew is Least Concern while Emerald Spreadwing is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

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

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

Elegant Water Shrew

LC — Least Concern

Emerald Spreadwing

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Elegant Water Shrew

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Emerald Spreadwing

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found across Europe (5 countries) and North America (United States). Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Emerald Spreadwing

Emerald Spreadwing (Lestes dryas) is classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List. Facing a high risk of endangerment in the wild, with declining populations and increasing habitat pressure.