Alpine Earwort vs small tortoiseshell

Diplophyllum taxifolium compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Alpine Earwort is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Alpine Earwort	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Marchantiophyta (liverwort)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Jungermanniopsida (Jungermanniopsida)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Jungermanniales (Jungermanniales)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Scapaniaceae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Diplophyllum	Aglais
Species	Diplophyllum taxifolium	Aglais urticae

Conservation Status

Alpine Earwort

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Alpine Earwort	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Alpine Earwort

Habitat

Native to Asia and Europe and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Norway, Sweden, Taiwan, and United States.

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.

Alpine Earwort

The Alpine Earwort (Diplophyllum taxifolium) is a species in the genus Diplophyllum. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Native to Asia and Europe and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region. Distributed across Norway, Sweden, Taiwan, and United States.

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 2 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden