Ulmen-Fleckenspanner vs Rauhes Hornblatt

Abraxas sylvata compared with Ceratophyllum demersum

Key Differences

  • Ulmen-Fleckenspanner is Vulnerable while Rauhes Hornblatt is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank Ulmen-Fleckenspanner Rauhes Hornblatt
Kingdom Animalia (Tier) Plantae (Pflanzen)
Phylum Arthropoda (Gliederfüßer) Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class Insecta (Insekten) Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order Lepidoptera (Schmetterlinge) Ceratophyllales (Ceratophyllales)
Family Geometridae Ceratophyllaceae
Genus Abraxas Ceratophyllum
Species Abraxas sylvata Ceratophyllum demersum

Conservation Status

Ulmen-Fleckenspanner

VU — Vulnerable

Rauhes Hornblatt

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute Ulmen-Fleckenspanner Rauhes Hornblatt
Diet
Average Lifespan
Average Length
Average Weight

Habitat & Geographic Range

Ulmen-Fleckenspanner

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

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

Rauhes Hornblatt

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, flooded grasslands and savannas, and deserts and xeric shrublands, among 9 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (4 countries), Asia (6 countries), Europe (8 countries), North America (4 countries), Oceania and the Pacific (4 countries), and South America (Brazil, Colombia).

Ulmen-Fleckenspanner

The clouded magpie (Abraxas sylvata) is a geometrid moth in the family Geometridae found across temperate Europe, extending eastward through Russia to Japan. The adult wingspan measures approximately 32–42 mm, with white wings bearing a distinctive pattern of yellow-orange and dark grey to black spots and patches arranged in rows across the forewing and hindwing, creating a striking patterned appearance resembling the magpie coloring of the related magpie moth Abraxas grossulariata, but with a more yellowish, muted tone and less black — hence 'clouded.' Adults fly in one generation from June to July, resting on leaf surfaces and attending woodland flowers for nectar. The larvae feed on wych elm (Ulmus glabra) and occasionally other Ulmus species in mature deciduous woodland and woodland edges. The clouded magpie has become less common in parts of its European range due to the widespread loss of mature elms from Dutch elm disease, which devastated European elm populations from the 1970s onward. Conservation of this species requires the protection of surviving mature elm trees and management of regrowth elms in woodland ecosystems.

Rauhes Hornblatt

<em>Ceratophyllum demersum</em>, commonly known as common coontail or hornwort, is a submerged aquatic plant in the family Ceratophyllaceae. It has an almost cosmopolitan distribution, occurring on every continent except Antarctica in freshwater lakes, ponds, slow-moving rivers, and ditches. Common coontail is rootless, floating freely or loosely anchored in sediment, and forms dense underwater mats that provide important habitat and refuge for fish, invertebrates, and waterfowl. Its whorled, forked leaves are stiff and brittle with toothed margins. The species is well adapted to a wide range of water conditions and can tolerate turbid, nutrient-rich waters where other aquatic plants may struggle. It plays a significant role in aquatic ecosystems by oxygenating water and filtering excess nutrients. The species is assessed as Least Concern by the IUCN. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

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