Cactus aphid vs small tortoiseshell

Aphis sedi compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Cactus aphid is Not Evaluated while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Cactus aphid	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	Aphididae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Aphis	Aglais
Species	Aphis sedi	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

Cactus aphid

NE — Not Evaluated

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Cactus aphid	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Cactus aphid

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, and 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.

Cactus aphid

The Cactus aphid (Aphis sedi) is a species in the genus Aphis. 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 4 countries:

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