Cabbage whitefly vs small tortoiseshell

Aleyrodes proletella compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Cabbage whitefly is Not Evaluated while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Cabbage whitefly	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class same	Insecta (Insects)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Hemiptera (Hemiptera)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Aleyrodidae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Aleyrodes	Aglais
Species	Aleyrodes proletella	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

Cabbage whitefly and small tortoiseshell share a common ancestor at the Class level: Insecta. (Insects)

Conservation Status

Cabbage whitefly

NE — Not Evaluated

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Cabbage whitefly	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Cabbage whitefly

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (6 countries), and North America (United States).

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.

Cabbage whitefly

The Cabbage whitefly (Aleyrodes proletella) is a species in the genus Aleyrodes. 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 6 countries:

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