Alpine Emerald vs small tortoiseshell

Somatochlora alpestris compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

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

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Alpine Emerald	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class same	Insecta (Insects)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Odonata (Odonata)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Corduliidae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Somatochlora	Aglais
Species	Somatochlora alpestris	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

Alpine Emerald and small tortoiseshell share a common ancestor at the Class level: Insecta. (Insects)

Conservation Status

Alpine Emerald

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Alpine Emerald

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across 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.

Alpine Emerald

The Alpine Emerald (Somatochlora alpestris) is a species in the genus Somatochlora. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats. Distributed across Norway and Sweden.

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