European water vole vs Irish Plume

Arvicola amphibius compared with Platyptilia tesseradactyla

Key Differences

• European water vole is Near Threatened while Irish Plume is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	European water vole	Irish Plume
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Rodentia (Rodents)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Cricetidae	Pterophoridae
Genus	Arvicola	Platyptilia
Species	Arvicola amphibius	Platyptilia tesseradactyla

Evolutionary Relationship

European water vole and Irish Plume share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

European water vole

NT — Near Threatened

Irish Plume

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	European water vole	Irish Plume
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

European water vole

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Russia, and Sweden. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Irish Plume

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including temperate coniferous forests, temperate grasslands and steppes, and montane grasslands and shrublands, among 5 distinct biome types within the Palearctic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Armenia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia), Europe (23 countries), and North America (Canada, United States). Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden