4-Spotted Digger Wasp vs small tortoiseshell

Crossocerus quadrimaculatus compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

4-Spotted Digger Wasp is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	4-Spotted Digger Wasp	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class same	Insecta (Insects)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees & Wasps)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Crabronidae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Crossocerus	Aglais
Species	Crossocerus quadrimaculatus	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

4-Spotted Digger Wasp and small tortoiseshell share a common ancestor at the Class level: Insecta. (Insects)

View Class: Insecta

Conservation Status

4-Spotted Digger Wasp

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	4-Spotted Digger Wasp	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

4-Spotted Digger Wasp

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

small tortoiseshell

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found across Europe (41 countries). Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

4-Spotted Digger Wasp

The 4-Spotted Digger Wasp (Crossocerus quadrimaculatus) is a species in the genus Crossocerus. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. It is found across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, inhabiting diverse terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

small tortoiseshell

small tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae) is classified as Near Threatened (NT) on the IUCN Red List. Close to qualifying as threatened, with populations that may become vulnerable without conservation action.