Coastal Flat-body vs Rothirsch

Agonopterix yeatiana compared with Cervus elaphus

Key Differences

• Coastal Flat-body is Near Threatened while Rothirsch is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Coastal Flat-body	Rothirsch
Kingdom same	Animalia (Tier)	Animalia (Tier)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Gliederfüßer)	Chordata (Chordatiere)
Class	Insecta (Insekten)	Mammalia (Säugetiere)
Order	Lepidoptera (Schmetterlinge)	Artiodactyla (Paarhufer)
Family	Depressariidae	Cervidae (Deer)
Genus	Agonopterix	Cervus (True Deer)
Species	Agonopterix yeatiana	Cervus elaphus

Evolutionary Relationship

Coastal Flat-body and Rothirsch share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Tier)

Conservation Status

Coastal Flat-body

NT — Near Threatened

Rothirsch

VU — Vulnerable

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Coastal Flat-body	Rothirsch
Diet	—	Herbivore
Average Lifespan	—	20 years
Average Length	—	2.1 m
Average Weight	—	240.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Coastal Flat-body

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

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

Rothirsch

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, among 12 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (South Africa), Asia (Afghanistan, Indonesia), Europe (11 countries), North America (Mexico), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia, New Zealand), and South America (Argentina, Chile, Peru). Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Coastal Flat-body

Agonopterix yeatiana, the coastal flat-body, is a small moth in the family Depressariidae native to coastal and calcareous grassland habitats across western and northern Europe, with records from Belgium, Denmark, and Sweden. Moths in the family Depressariidae, commonly called flat-body moths due to the depressed posture they adopt when resting with wings held flat against the surface, are associated predominantly with umbellifer plants of the family Apiaceae as larval hosts. Agonopterix yeatiana larvae feed on wild carrot (Daucus carota), wild parsnip (Pastinaca sativa), and related coastal and grassland Apiaceae species, inhabiting the open, often calcareous or sandy habitats where these plants grow. Adult moths have greyish-brown forewing with a distinctive pattern of spots and dashes and reach approximately 8–12 millimeters in wingspan. The species is classified as Near Threatened by the IUCN, reflecting declines associated with the loss of traditional hay meadow management, coastal grassland degradation, and scrub encroachment that eliminates the open, flower-rich grassland habitats supporting its host plants. Agricultural intensification has reduced wild umbellifer populations significantly across lowland Europe, reducing food resources for larvae of specialist moths like A. yeatiana.

Rothirsch

Also known as the red deer, elk are among the largest members of the deer family, with antlered males reaching up to 240 kg. Found across temperate forests and grasslands of Europe, Asia, and North America, where populations were historically separated as distinct subspecies. Males shed and regrow their antlers annually, engaging in dramatic roaring contests during autumn rut. An important game and conservation species across its range.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇸🇪 Sweden