Amethyst Deceiver vs small tortoiseshell

Laccaria amethystina compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

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

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Amethyst Deceiver	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Hydnangiaceae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Laccaria	Aglais
Species	Laccaria amethystina	Aglais urticae

Conservation Status

Amethyst Deceiver

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Amethyst Deceiver

Habitat

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

Range

Found across Europe (5 countries) and North America (United States).

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 Deceiver

The Amethyst Deceiver (Laccaria amethystina) is a species in the genus Laccaria. 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 5 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇸🇪 Sweden