Candelabra Duster vs small tortoiseshell

Athelia arachnoidea compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Candelabra Duster is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Candelabra Duster	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Atheliales (Atheliales)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Atheliaceae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Athelia	Aglais
Species	Athelia arachnoidea	Aglais urticae

Conservation Status

Candelabra Duster

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Candelabra Duster	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Candelabra Duster

Habitat

Typically found in forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Brazil, Denmark, Norway, 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.

Candelabra Duster

The Candelabra Duster (Athelia arachnoidea) is a species in the genus Athelia. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil ecosystems.

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 3 countries:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden