Blistering Ammania vs Coastal Silver-stiletto

Ammannia baccifera compared with Acrosathe annulata

Taxonomic Classification

Rank Blistering Ammania Coastal Silver-stiletto
Kingdom Plantae (tumbuhan) Animalia (hewan)
Phylum Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants) Arthropoda (Artropoda)
Class Magnoliopsida (Dicots) Insecta (serangga)
Order Myrtales (Myrtales) Diptera (lalat)
Family Lythraceae Therevidae
Genus Ammannia Acrosathe
Species Ammannia baccifera Acrosathe annulata

Conservation Status

Blistering Ammania

LC — Least Concern

Coastal Silver-stiletto

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute Blistering Ammania Coastal Silver-stiletto
Diet
Average Lifespan
Average Length
Average Weight

Habitat & Geographic Range

Blistering Ammania

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, montane grasslands and shrublands, and mangrove forests and coastal wetlands, among 4 distinct biome types spanning the Indomalayan and Oceanian and Palearctic realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (5 countries), Europe (Greece, Italy, North Macedonia), and Oceania and the Pacific (Palau).

Coastal Silver-stiletto

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

Blistering Ammania

The Blistering Ammania (Ammannia baccifera) is a species in the genus Ammannia. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, montane grasslands and shrublands, and mangrove forests and coastal wetlands, among 4 distinct biome types spanning the Indomalayan and Oceanian

Coastal Silver-stiletto

Coastal silver stiletto (Acrosathe annulata) is a slender robber fly in the family Therevidae, native to northwestern Europe, including the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Scandinavia. Adults are found on coastal sand dunes and sandy heathland, where they perch on bare sand to ambush small flying insects. Stiletto flies in the family Therevidae are characterised by a slender body, long pointed abdomen, and predatory habits; adults prey on a variety of small dipterans and other flying insects during warm, sunny periods. Larvae develop in sandy soil, where they are also predatory, feeding on other invertebrate larvae. Acrosathe annulata is a habitat specialist restricted to open, sandy coastal habitats with sparse vegetation—environments that have declined substantially across northwestern Europe due to dune stabilisation, recreational disturbance, and the cessation of traditional dune management. The IUCN lists it as Least Concern, though regional conservation bodies in the United Kingdom have flagged population declines. It is considered an indicator of high-quality coastal sand dune habitats and is monitored through national invertebrate surveys.

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