bitter-ash vs small tortoiseshell

Rauvolfia nitida compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• bitter-ash is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	bitter-ash	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Gentianales (Gentianales)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Apocynaceae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Rauvolfia	Aglais
Species	Rauvolfia nitida	Aglais urticae

Conservation Status

bitter-ash

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	bitter-ash	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

bitter-ash

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

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.

bitter-ash

The Bitter-ash (Rauvolfia nitida) is a species in the genus Rauvolfia. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

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.