Arend’s Golden Mole vs Coastal Silver-stiletto

Carpitalpa arendsi compared with Acrosathe annulata

Key Differences

• Arend’s Golden Mole is Vulnerable while Coastal Silver-stiletto is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Arend’s Golden Mole	Coastal Silver-stiletto
Kingdom same	Animalia (животные)	Animalia (животные)
Phylum	Chordata (хордовые)	Arthropoda (членистоногие)
Class	Mammalia (млекопитающие)	Insecta (насекомые)
Order	Afrosoricida (Афросорициды)	Diptera (двукрылые)
Family	Chrysochloridae	Therevidae
Genus	Carpitalpa	Acrosathe
Species	Carpitalpa arendsi	Acrosathe annulata

Evolutionary Relationship

Arend’s Golden Mole and Coastal Silver-stiletto share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (животные)

Conservation Status

Arend’s Golden Mole

VU — Vulnerable

Coastal Silver-stiletto

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Arend’s Golden Mole	Coastal Silver-stiletto
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Arend’s Golden Mole

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Coastal Silver-stiletto

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

Arend’s Golden Mole

The Arend’s Golden Mole (Carpitalpa arendsi) is a species in the genus Carpitalpa. It is currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

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.