Azorean predacious diving beetle vs Coastal Silver-stiletto

Agabus godmanni compared with Acrosathe annulata

Key Differences

• Azorean predacious diving beetle is Endangered while Coastal Silver-stiletto is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Azorean predacious diving beetle	Coastal Silver-stiletto
Kingdom same	Animalia (动物界)	Animalia (动物界)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (节肢动物门)	Arthropoda (节肢动物门)
Class same	Insecta (昆蟲綱)	Insecta (昆蟲綱)
Order	Coleoptera (鞘翅目)	Diptera (雙翅目)
Family	Dytiscidae	Therevidae
Genus	Agabus	Acrosathe
Species	Agabus godmanni	Acrosathe annulata

Evolutionary Relationship

Azorean predacious diving beetle and Coastal Silver-stiletto share a common ancestor at the Class level: Insecta. (昆蟲綱)

Conservation Status

Azorean predacious diving beetle

EN — Endangered

Coastal Silver-stiletto

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Azorean predacious diving beetle	Coastal Silver-stiletto
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Azorean predacious diving beetle

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

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

Coastal Silver-stiletto

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

Azorean predacious diving beetle

The Azorean predacious diving beetle (Agabus godmanni) is a species in the genus Agabus. It is currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

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.