Basketgrass vs small tortoiseshell

Oplismenus hirtellus compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Basketgrass is Not Evaluated while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Basketgrass	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	Oplismenus	Aglais
Species	Oplismenus hirtellus	Aglais urticae

Conservation Status

Basketgrass

NE — Not Evaluated

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Basketgrass	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Basketgrass

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (4 countries), Europe (5 countries), North America (4 countries), Oceania and the Pacific (7 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.

Basketgrass

The Basketgrass (Oplismenus hirtellus) is a species in the genus Oplismenus. Typically found in grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated landscapes. Its range includes Belgium, Brazil, Colombia, Comoros, and El Salvador.

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 🇫🇷 France 🇳🇱 Netherlands 🇪🇸 Spain 🇬🇧 United Kingdom