Coastal Silver-stiletto vs Gray-footed Spiny-rat

Acrosathe annulata compared with Proechimys poliopus

Key Differences

• Coastal Silver-stiletto is Least Concern while Gray-footed Spiny-rat is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Coastal Silver-stiletto	Gray-footed Spiny-rat
Kingdom same	Animalia (животные)	Animalia (животные)
Phylum	Arthropoda (членистоногие)	Chordata (хордовые)
Class	Insecta (насекомые)	Mammalia (млекопитающие)
Order	Diptera (двукрылые)	Rodentia (грызуны)
Family	Therevidae	Echimyidae
Genus	Acrosathe	Proechimys
Species	Acrosathe annulata	Proechimys poliopus

Evolutionary Relationship

Coastal Silver-stiletto and Gray-footed Spiny-rat share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (животные)

Conservation Status

Coastal Silver-stiletto

LC — Least Concern

Gray-footed Spiny-rat

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Coastal Silver-stiletto	Gray-footed Spiny-rat
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Coastal Silver-stiletto

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

Gray-footed Spiny-rat

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Found in Venezuela. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

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.