Ant vs small tortoiseshell

Tetramorium lanuginosum compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Ant is Not Evaluated while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Ant	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class same	Insecta (Insects)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees & Wasps)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Formicidae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Tetramorium	Aglais
Species	Tetramorium lanuginosum	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

Ant and small tortoiseshell share a common ancestor at the Class level: Insecta. (Insects)

Conservation Status

Ant

NE — Not Evaluated

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Ant	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Ant

Habitat

Inhabits montane grasslands and shrublands and Mediterranean forests and woodlands within the Palearctic biogeographic realm.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Morocco), Asia (5 countries), Europe (Malta, Spain), North America (6 countries), and Oceania and the Pacific (Marshall Islands, Tonga).

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.

Ant

The Ant (Tetramorium lanuginosum) is a species in the genus Tetramorium. Inhabits montane grasslands and shrublands and Mediterranean forests and woodlands within the Palearctic biogeographic realm.

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 2 countries:

🇲🇹 Malta 🇪🇸 Spain