Downland Conch vs Thistle Conch

Aethes tesserana compared with Aethes cnicana

Key Differences

• Downland Conch is Critically Endangered while Thistle Conch is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Downland Conch	Thistle Conch
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class same	Insecta (Insects)	Insecta (Insects)
Order same	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family same	Tortricidae	Tortricidae
Genus same	Aethes	Aethes
Species	Aethes tesserana	Aethes cnicana

Evolutionary Relationship

Downland Conch and Thistle Conch share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Aethes.

Conservation Status

Downland Conch

CR — Critically Endangered

Thistle Conch

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Downland Conch	Thistle Conch
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Downland Conch

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, and Sweden. Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Thistle Conch

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇸🇪 Sweden