clouded brindle vs Square-jawed Sharp-tail Bee

Apamea epomidion compared with Coelioxys mandibularis

Key Differences

• clouded brindle is Least Concern while Square-jawed Sharp-tail Bee is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	clouded brindle	Square-jawed Sharp-tail Bee
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (artrópode)	Arthropoda (artrópode)
Class same	Insecta (inseto)	Insecta (inseto)
Order	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees & Wasps)
Family	Noctuidae	Megachilidae
Genus	Apamea	Coelioxys
Species	Apamea epomidion	Coelioxys mandibularis

Evolutionary Relationship

clouded brindle and Square-jawed Sharp-tail Bee share a common ancestor at the Class level: Insecta. (inseto)

Conservation Status

clouded brindle

LC — Least Concern

Square-jawed Sharp-tail Bee

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	clouded brindle	Square-jawed Sharp-tail Bee
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

clouded brindle

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

Square-jawed Sharp-tail Bee

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

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

clouded brindle

The clouded brindle (Apamea epomidion) is a noctuid moth in the family Noctuidae found across temperate Europe and extending into western Asia. The adult wingspan measures approximately 35–45 mm with typical brindle-patterned forewings in grey-brown and buff tones with subtle cross-lines and stigmata characteristic of the Apamea genus. The term 'clouded' refers to diffuse cloud-like darker shading areas across the forewing surface. Adults fly in one generation from June to August, attracted to light and flowers at night. The larvae are internal feeders within grass stems and roots, feeding on coarse grass species such as Brachypodium sylvaticum and Deschampsia in woodland rides, scrub margins, and rough grassland habitats. The pupal stage overwinters in soil or within plant debris. The clouded brindle inhabits structurally diverse woodland edge habitats with a mixture of tall grasses, scrub, and open canopy woodland rides that provide both larval foodplants and adult resting sites. Changes in woodland management, particularly reduction of coppicing and shading of woodland rides, may affect this and related grass-feeding brindle moth species.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden