Coastal Silver-stiletto vs New Caledonian Flying Fox

Acrosathe annulata compared with Pteropus vetula

Key Differences

• Coastal Silver-stiletto is Least Concern while New Caledonian Flying Fox is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Coastal Silver-stiletto	New Caledonian Flying Fox
Kingdom same	Animalia (动物界)	Animalia (动物界)
Phylum	Arthropoda (节肢动物门)	Chordata (脊索动物门)
Class	Insecta (昆蟲綱)	Mammalia (哺乳動物)
Order	Diptera (雙翅目)	Chiroptera (翼手目)
Family	Therevidae	Pteropodidae (Fruit Bats)
Genus	Acrosathe	Pteropus (Flying Foxes)
Species	Acrosathe annulata	Pteropus vetula

Evolutionary Relationship

Coastal Silver-stiletto and New Caledonian Flying Fox share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (动物界)

Conservation Status

Coastal Silver-stiletto

LC — Least Concern

New Caledonian Flying Fox

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Coastal Silver-stiletto	New Caledonian Flying Fox
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.

New Caledonian Flying Fox

Habitat

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.