arran brown vs small tortoiseshell

Erebia ligea compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

arran brown is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	arran brown	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 same	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Erebia	Aglais
Species	Erebia ligea	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

arran brown and small tortoiseshell share a common ancestor at the Family level: Nymphalidae. (Brush-footed Butterflies)

View Family: Nymphalidae

Conservation Status

arran brown

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	arran brown	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

arran brown

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found across Europe (33 countries).

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.

arran brown

arran brown (Erebia ligea) is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List. Widespread and abundant across its range, with stable populations and no immediate conservation concerns.

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.