Ulmen-Fleckenspanner vs Grass-Leaf Rush

Abraxas sylvata compared with Juncus marginatus

Key Differences

• Ulmen-Fleckenspanner is Vulnerable while Grass-Leaf Rush is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Ulmen-Fleckenspanner	Grass-Leaf Rush
Kingdom	Animalia (Tier)	Plantae (Pflanzen)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Gliederfüßer)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Insecta (Insekten)	Liliopsida (Monocots)
Order	Lepidoptera (Schmetterlinge)	Poales (Süßgrasartige)
Family	Geometridae	Juncaceae
Genus	Abraxas	Juncus
Species	Abraxas sylvata	Juncus marginatus

Conservation Status

Ulmen-Fleckenspanner

VU — Vulnerable

Grass-Leaf Rush

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Ulmen-Fleckenspanner	Grass-Leaf Rush
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.

Grass-Leaf Rush

Habitat

Typically found in grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated landscapes.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (Italy), North America (Canada, Cuba, United States), and South America (Brazil).

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.