Ant Damsel Bug vs small tortoiseshell

Himacerus mirmicoides compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Ant Damsel Bug is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Ant Damsel Bug	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class same	Insecta (Insects)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Hemiptera (Hemiptera)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Nabidae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Himacerus	Aglais
Species	Himacerus mirmicoides	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

Ant Damsel Bug

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Ant Damsel Bug

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

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.

Ant Damsel Bug

The Ant Damsel Bug (Himacerus mirmicoides) is a species in the genus Himacerus. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

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