Coastal Flat-body vs Eurasian pygmy shrew

Agonopterix yeatiana compared with Sorex minutus

Key Differences

• Coastal Flat-body is Near Threatened while Eurasian pygmy shrew is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Coastal Flat-body	Eurasian pygmy shrew
Kingdom same	Animalia (동물)	Animalia (동물)
Phylum	Arthropoda (절지동물)	Chordata (척삭동물)
Class	Insecta (곤충)	Mammalia (포유류)
Order	Lepidoptera (나비목)	Soricomorpha (땃쥐목)
Family	Depressariidae	Soricidae
Genus	Agonopterix	Sorex
Species	Agonopterix yeatiana	Sorex minutus

Evolutionary Relationship

Coastal Flat-body and Eurasian pygmy shrew share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (동물)

Conservation Status

Coastal Flat-body

NT — Near Threatened

Eurasian pygmy shrew

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Coastal Flat-body	Eurasian pygmy shrew
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

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.

Eurasian pygmy shrew

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Found across Europe (6 countries). 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.

Eurasian pygmy shrew

유럽꼬마뒤쥐(Sorex minutus)는 IUCN 적색목록에서 취약(VU) 종으로 분류됩니다. 야생에서 위기에 처할 위험이 높으며 개체수가 감소하고 서식지 압박이 증가하고 있습니다.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇸🇪 Sweden