Coast Indigo vs Common Flat-body

Indigofera miniata compared with Agonopterix heracliana

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Coast Indigo	Common Flat-body
Kingdom	Plantae (plante)	Animalia (animal)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Arthropoda (arthropodes)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Insecta (insecte)
Order	Fabales (Legumes & Allies)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Fabaceae	Depressariidae
Genus	Indigofera	Agonopterix
Species	Indigofera miniata	Agonopterix heracliana

Conservation Status

Coast Indigo

LC — Least Concern

Common Flat-body

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Coast Indigo	Common Flat-body
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Coast Indigo

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Found in Cuba.

Common Flat-body

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

Coast Indigo

Coast indigo (Indigofera miniata) is a perennial herb or subshrub in the family Fabaceae, native to the coastal scrub, pine barrens, and sandy grasslands of Cuba and the broader Caribbean region. Like other members of the genus Indigofera, it produces compound pinnate leaves and racemes of small, pea-type flowers, though in this species the flowers are notably small and pinkish to reddish. The genus Indigofera is best known for Indigofera tinctoria, the source of natural indigo dye, but most species including Indigofera miniata have not been commercially exploited for dye production. Coast indigo grows in open, sunny, often disturbed habitats including sandy coastal plains, roadsides, and degraded scrubland, benefiting from its ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen through root nodule bacteria—a common trait in the legume family. The IUCN assesses it as Least Concern, reflecting its ability to persist in disturbed and marginal coastal habitats across the Caribbean. Regional populations are affected by coastal development and vegetation clearance but are not considered globally threatened.

Common Flat-body

<em>Agonopterix heracliana</em> is a moth belonging to the family Depressariidae within the order Lepidoptera. Commonly known as the common flat-body, this species is named for the flattened resting posture characteristic of the genus Agonopterix. The species is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, with no indication of significant population decline. <em>Agonopterix heracliana</em> is distributed across northwestern Europe, with documented occurrences in Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Larvae of this species are typically associated with plants in the family Apiaceae, particularly hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium) and related umbellifers, upon which they feed while sheltering in rolled or folded leaves. Adults are typically brownish with subtle markings and are active from late summer through winter and early spring, overwintering as adults — an unusual life history trait among moths. The species inhabits hedgerows, woodland margins, and meadows where its host plants are abundant. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.