Balloon vine vs small tortoiseshell

Cardiospermum halicacabum compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

  • Balloon vine is Not Evaluated while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank Balloon vine small tortoiseshell
Kingdom Plantae (Plants) Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants) Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class Magnoliopsida (Dicots) Insecta (Insects)
Order Sapindales (Sapindales) Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family Sapindaceae Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus Cardiospermum Aglais
Species Cardiospermum halicacabum Aglais urticae

Conservation Status

Balloon vine

NE — Not Evaluated

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute Balloon vine small tortoiseshell
Diet
Average Lifespan
Average Length
Average Weight

Habitat & Geographic Range

Balloon vine

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including flooded grasslands and savannas, deserts and xeric shrublands, and mangrove forests and coastal wetlands within the Indomalayan biogeographic realm.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (8 countries), Asia (7 countries), Europe (12 countries), North America (4 countries), Oceania and the Pacific (6 countries), and South America (Brazil, Colombia).

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.

Balloon vine

The Balloon vine (Cardiospermum halicacabum) is a species in the genus Cardiospermum. Found across multiple habitat types including flooded grasslands and savannas, deserts and xeric shrublands, and mangrove forests and coastal wetlands within the Indomalayan biogeographic realm.

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.

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