Black scale vs small tortoiseshell

Saissetia oleae compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

Black scale is Not Evaluated while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Black scale	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class same	Insecta (Insects)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Hemiptera (Hemiptera)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Coccidae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Saissetia	Aglais
Species	Saissetia oleae	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

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

View Class: Insecta

Conservation Status

Black scale

NE — Not Evaluated

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Black scale

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Cyprus, Israel, Taiwan), Europe (22 countries), North America (Dominica, United States), and South America (Chile).

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 scale

The Black scale (Saissetia oleae) is a species in the genus Saissetia. Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

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.