Coastal Flat-body vs Variable Bluet

Agonopterix yeatiana compared with Coenagrion pulchellum

Key Differences

  • Coastal Flat-body is Near Threatened while Variable Bluet is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank Coastal Flat-body Variable Bluet
Kingdom same Animalia (สัตว์) Animalia (สัตว์)
Phylum same Arthropoda (สัตว์ขาปล้อง) Arthropoda (สัตว์ขาปล้อง)
Class same Insecta (แมลง) Insecta (แมลง)
Order Lepidoptera (ผีเสื้อ) Odonata (Odonata)
Family Depressariidae Coenagrionidae
Genus Agonopterix Coenagrion
Species Agonopterix yeatiana Coenagrion pulchellum

Evolutionary Relationship

Coastal Flat-body and Variable Bluet share a common ancestor at the Class level: Insecta. (แมลง)

Conservation Status

Coastal Flat-body

NT — Near Threatened

Variable Bluet

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute Coastal Flat-body Variable Bluet
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.

Variable Bluet

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, and Sweden. Currently classified as Endangered 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.

Variable Bluet

Variable Bluet (Coenagrion pulchellum) is classified as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List. At high risk of extinction in the wild, with significant population decline and ongoing threats to survival.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

Nature FYI Family

Explore more of the natural world across our sister sites.

Part of the Nature FYI family — FYIPedia