Apple Leaf Miner vs small tortoiseshell

Lyonetia clerkella compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Apple Leaf Miner is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Apple Leaf Miner	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class same	Insecta (Insects)	Insecta (Insects)
Order same	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Lyonetiidae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Lyonetia	Aglais
Species	Lyonetia clerkella	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

Apple Leaf Miner and small tortoiseshell share a common ancestor at the Order level: Lepidoptera. (Butterflies & Moths)

Conservation Status

Apple Leaf Miner

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Apple Leaf Miner	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Apple Leaf Miner

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Taiwan.

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.

Apple Leaf Miner

The Apple Leaf Miner (Lyonetia clerkella) is a species in the genus Lyonetia. 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