Arctic barrel-bubble vs small tortoiseshell

Retusa obtusa compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Arctic barrel-bubble is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Arctic barrel-bubble	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Mollusca (Mollusks)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Gastropoda (Gastropoda)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Cephalaspidea (Cephalaspidea)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Retusidae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Retusa	Aglais
Species	Retusa obtusa	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

Arctic barrel-bubble and small tortoiseshell share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Arctic barrel-bubble

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Arctic barrel-bubble	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Arctic barrel-bubble

Habitat

Typically found in terrestrial and aquatic habitats including forests and freshwater.

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.

Arctic barrel-bubble

The Arctic barrel-bubble (Retusa obtusa) is a species in the genus Retusa. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in terrestrial and aquatic habitats including forests and freshwater.

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