Brown China-Mark vs small tortoiseshell

Elophila nymphaeata compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Brown China-Mark is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Brown China-Mark	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class same	Insecta (Insects)	Insecta (Insects)
Order same	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Crambidae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Elophila	Aglais
Species	Elophila nymphaeata	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

Brown China-Mark and small tortoiseshell share a common ancestor at the Order level: Lepidoptera. (Butterflies & Moths)

Conservation Status

Brown China-Mark

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Brown China-Mark	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Brown China-Mark

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found across Europe (8 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.

Brown China-Mark

The Brown China-Mark (Elophila nymphaeata) is a species in the genus Elophila. 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.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 8 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇫🇷 France 🇮🇪 Ireland 🇳🇱 Netherlands 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇬🇧 United Kingdom