Boreal Beard Lichen vs small tortoiseshell

Usnea subfloridana compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Boreal Beard Lichen is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Boreal Beard Lichen	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Lecanoromycetes (Lecanoromycetes)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Lecanorales (Lecanorales)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Parmeliaceae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Usnea	Aglais
Species	Usnea subfloridana	Aglais urticae

Conservation Status

Boreal Beard Lichen

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Boreal Beard Lichen	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Boreal Beard Lichen

Habitat

Native to Asia and Europe and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (4 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Colombia).

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.

Boreal Beard Lichen

The Boreal Beard Lichen (Usnea subfloridana) is a species in the genus Usnea. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Native to Asia and Europe and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

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:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇸🇪 Sweden