Alpine Larch vs small tortoiseshell

Larix lyallii compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

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

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Alpine Larch	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Coniferophyta (Conifers)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Pinopsida (Conifers)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Pinales (Pines & Allies)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Pinaceae (Pine Family)	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Larix	Aglais
Species	Larix lyallii	Aglais urticae

Conservation Status

Alpine Larch

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Alpine Larch

Habitat

Typically found in temperate and boreal forests, often at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Canada and Iceland.

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 Larch

The Alpine Larch (Larix lyallii) is a species in the genus Larix. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in temperate and boreal forests, often at higher elevations. Distributed across Canada and Iceland.

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 1 countries:

🇮🇸 Iceland