Black Sexton Beetle vs small tortoiseshell

Nicrophorus humator compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Black Sexton Beetle is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Black Sexton Beetle	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	Staphylinidae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Nicrophorus	Aglais
Species	Nicrophorus humator	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

Black Sexton Beetle

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Black Sexton Beetle	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Black Sexton Beetle

Habitat

Inhabits deserts and xeric shrublands within the Palearctic biogeographic realm.

Range

Found across Asia (Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan) and Europe (4 countries).

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 Sexton Beetle

The Black Sexton Beetle (Nicrophorus humator) is a species in the genus Nicrophorus. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Inhabits deserts and xeric shrublands within the Palearctic biogeographic realm.

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