Buff tailed bumblebee vs small tortoiseshell

Bombus terrestris compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Buff tailed bumblebee is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Buff tailed bumblebee	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class same	Insecta (Insects)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees & Wasps)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Apidae (Bees)	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Bombus	Aglais
Species	Bombus terrestris	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

Buff tailed bumblebee and small tortoiseshell share a common ancestor at the Class level: Insecta. (Insects)

Conservation Status

Buff tailed bumblebee

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Buff tailed bumblebee	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Buff tailed bumblebee

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and deserts and xeric shrublands within the Indomalayan biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Japan, Sri Lanka), Europe (5 countries), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia, New Zealand), and South America (Argentina, Brazil, 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.

Buff tailed bumblebee

The Buff Tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) is a species in the genus Bombus. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and deserts and xeric shrublands within the Indomalayan biogeographic realm. Populations are als

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 5 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇱🇺 Luxembourg 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden