brown slug vs small tortoiseshell

Deroceras laeve compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• brown slug is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	brown slug	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Mollusca (Mollusks)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Gastropoda (Gastropoda)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Stylommatophora (Stylommatophora)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Agriolimacidae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Deroceras	Aglais
Species	Deroceras laeve	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

brown slug and small tortoiseshell share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

brown slug

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	brown slug	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

brown slug

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, and temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, among 7 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Cabo Verde, Sao Tome and Principe, South Africa), Asia (4 countries), Europe (9 countries), North America (Guatemala, Mexico, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (New Zealand), and South America (5 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 slug

The Brown Slug (Deroceras laeve) is a species in the genus Deroceras. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, and temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, among 7 distinct biome types. Populations are also fo

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 9 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇫🇷 France 🇬🇷 Greece 🇮🇹 Italy 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇪🇸 Spain 🇸🇪 Sweden