alpine gentian vs small tortoiseshell

Gentiana nivalis compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• alpine gentian is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	alpine gentian	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Gentianales (Gentianales)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Gentianaceae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Gentiana	Aglais
Species	Gentiana nivalis	Aglais urticae

Conservation Status

alpine gentian

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

alpine gentian

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Found across Europe (5 countries) and North America (Canada).

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 gentian

The Alpine gentian (Gentiana nivalis) is a species in the genus Gentiana. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions. Found across Europe (5 countries) and North America (Canada).

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 5 countries:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇫🇮 Finland 🇮🇸 Iceland 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden