Bird-cherry Ermine vs small tortoiseshell

Yponomeuta evonymella compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Bird-cherry Ermine is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Bird-cherry Ermine	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class same	Insecta (Insects)	Insecta (Insects)
Order same	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Yponomeutidae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Yponomeuta	Aglais
Species	Yponomeuta evonymella	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

Bird-cherry Ermine and small tortoiseshell share a common ancestor at the Order level: Lepidoptera. (Butterflies & Moths)

Conservation Status

Bird-cherry Ermine

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Bird-cherry Ermine	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Bird-cherry Ermine

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, 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.

Bird-cherry Ermine

The Bird-cherry Ermine (Yponomeuta evonymella) is a species in the genus Yponomeuta. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

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 4 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden