Bald Cavalier vs small tortoiseshell

Melanoleuca melaleuca compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Bald Cavalier is Data Deficient while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Bald Cavalier	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Tricholomataceae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Melanoleuca	Aglais
Species	Melanoleuca melaleuca	Aglais urticae

Conservation Status

Bald Cavalier

DD — Data Deficient

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Bald Cavalier	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Bald Cavalier

Habitat

Typically found in forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across 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.

Bald Cavalier

The Bald Cavalier (Melanoleuca melaleuca) is a species in the genus Melanoleuca. Its conservation status is listed as Data Deficient, indicating insufficient data for assessment. Typically found in forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil ecosystems.

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 3 countries:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden