alpine foxtail vs small tortoiseshell

Alopecurus magellanicus compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• alpine foxtail is Not Evaluated while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	alpine foxtail	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Liliopsida (Monocots)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Poales (Grasses)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Poaceae (Grass Family)	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Alopecurus	Aglais
Species	Alopecurus magellanicus	Aglais urticae

Conservation Status

alpine foxtail

NE — Not Evaluated

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	alpine foxtail	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

alpine foxtail

Habitat

Typically found in grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated landscapes.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Canada, 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 foxtail

The Alpine foxtail (Alopecurus magellanicus) is a species in the genus Alopecurus. Typically found in grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated landscapes. Distributed across Belgium, Canada, 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 3 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden