Asbestos Grass vs small tortoiseshell

Cenchrus basedowii compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Asbestos Grass is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Asbestos Grass	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Liliopsida (Monocots)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Poales (Grasses)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Poaceae (Grass Family)	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Cenchrus	Aglais
Species	Cenchrus basedowii	Aglais urticae

Conservation Status

Asbestos Grass

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Asbestos Grass	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Asbestos Grass

Habitat

Typically found in grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated landscapes.

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.

Asbestos Grass

Asbestos grass (Cenchrus basedowii) is a species in the genus Cenchrus. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated landscapes.

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.