clouded magpie vs Common Plain Neb

Abraxas sylvata compared with Monochroa tenebrella

Key Differences

• clouded magpie is Vulnerable while Common Plain Neb is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	clouded magpie	Common Plain Neb
Kingdom same	Animalia (động vật)	Animalia (động vật)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (động vật Chân khớp)	Arthropoda (động vật Chân khớp)
Class same	Insecta (côn trùng)	Insecta (côn trùng)
Order same	Lepidoptera (bộ Cánh vảy)	Lepidoptera (bộ Cánh vảy)
Family	Geometridae	Gelechiidae
Genus	Abraxas	Monochroa
Species	Abraxas sylvata	Monochroa tenebrella

Evolutionary Relationship

clouded magpie and Common Plain Neb share a common ancestor at the Order level: Lepidoptera. (bộ Cánh vảy)

Conservation Status

clouded magpie

VU — Vulnerable

Common Plain Neb

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	clouded magpie	Common Plain Neb
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

clouded magpie

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Common Plain Neb

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

clouded magpie

The clouded magpie (Abraxas sylvata) is a geometrid moth in the family Geometridae found across temperate Europe, extending eastward through Russia to Japan. The adult wingspan measures approximately 32–42 mm, with white wings bearing a distinctive pattern of yellow-orange and dark grey to black spots and patches arranged in rows across the forewing and hindwing, creating a striking patterned appearance resembling the magpie coloring of the related magpie moth Abraxas grossulariata, but with a more yellowish, muted tone and less black — hence 'clouded.' Adults fly in one generation from June to July, resting on leaf surfaces and attending woodland flowers for nectar. The larvae feed on wych elm (Ulmus glabra) and occasionally other Ulmus species in mature deciduous woodland and woodland edges. The clouded magpie has become less common in parts of its European range due to the widespread loss of mature elms from Dutch elm disease, which devastated European elm populations from the 1970s onward. Conservation of this species requires the protection of surviving mature elm trees and management of regrowth elms in woodland ecosystems.

Common Plain Neb

<em>Monochroa tenebrella</em>, the common plain neb, is a small moth in the family Gelechiidae, a large and taxonomically complex family of micromoths. It is a nondescript, grey-brown species with narrow forewings typical of the gelechiid body plan, making field identification challenging without close examination. The species is typically associated with wetland and riparian habitats, where its larval host plants are found, and adults are usually encountered in late spring and early summer. <em>Monochroa tenebrella</em> is distributed across northern Europe, with confirmed records from Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, suggesting a preference for temperate Atlantic and continental European climates. It is assessed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, reflecting an absence of major known threats at the population level. Biological traits such as average adult lifespan, wingspan measurements beyond general range estimates, larval host plant associations, and detailed dietary data remain poorly documented in the scientific literature. Like many micromoths, the species is understudied relative to larger Lepidoptera, and its ecology, population dynamics, and responses to habitat change are not well characterised. Continued recording by amateur lepidopterists is important for monitoring its distribution and status.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

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