Azure Bluet vs small tortoiseshell

Coenagrion puella compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Azure Bluet is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Azure Bluet	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class same	Insecta (Insects)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Odonata (Odonata)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Coenagrionidae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Coenagrion	Aglais
Species	Coenagrion puella	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

Azure Bluet and small tortoiseshell share a common ancestor at the Class level: Insecta. (Insects)

Conservation Status

Azure Bluet

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Azure Bluet	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Azure Bluet

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, 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.

Azure Bluet

Azure Bluet (Coenagrion puella) 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

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 5 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇱🇺 Luxembourg 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden