Alexanders Rust vs small tortoiseshell

Puccinia smyrnii compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Alexanders Rust is Not Evaluated while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Alexanders Rust	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Pucciniomycetes (Pucciniomycetes)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Pucciniales (Pucciniales)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Pucciniaceae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Puccinia	Aglais
Species	Puccinia smyrnii	Aglais urticae

Conservation Status

Alexanders Rust

NE — Not Evaluated

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Alexanders Rust	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Alexanders Rust

Habitat

Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Portugal, and United Kingdom.

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.

Alexanders Rust

The Alexanders Rust (Puccinia smyrnii) is a species in the genus Puccinia. Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

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.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇬🇧 United Kingdom