Black Firefly vs small tortoiseshell

Lucidota atra compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Black Firefly is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Black Firefly	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class same	Insecta (Insects)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Coleoptera (Beetles)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Lampyridae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Lucidota	Aglais
Species	Lucidota atra	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

Black Firefly and small tortoiseshell share a common ancestor at the Class level: Insecta. (Insects)

Conservation Status

Black Firefly

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Black Firefly	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Black Firefly

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Canada and United States.

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.

Black Firefly

The Black Firefly (Lucidota atra) is a species in the genus Lucidota. 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.