Amethyst Chanterelle vs small tortoiseshell

Cantharellus amethysteus compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Amethyst Chanterelle is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Amethyst Chanterelle	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Cantharellales (Cantharellales)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Hydnaceae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Cantharellus	Aglais
Species	Cantharellus amethysteus	Aglais urticae

Conservation Status

Amethyst Chanterelle

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Amethyst Chanterelle	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Amethyst Chanterelle

Habitat

Typically found in forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, 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.

Amethyst Chanterelle

The Amethyst Chanterelle (Cantharellus amethysteus) is a species in the genus Cantharellus. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil ecosystems.

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 4 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden