capillary thread moss vs small tortoiseshell

Meesia uliginosa compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• capillary thread moss is Extinct while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	capillary thread moss	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Bryophyta	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Bryopsida (Bryopsida)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Splachnales (Splachnales)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Meesiaceae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Meesia	Aglais
Species	Meesia uliginosa	Aglais urticae

Conservation Status

capillary thread moss

EX — Extinct

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	capillary thread moss	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

capillary thread moss

Habitat

Native to Europe and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, 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.

capillary thread moss

The Capillary Thread Moss (Meesia uliginosa) is a species in the genus Meesia. It is currently classified as Extinct (EX) on the IUCN Red List. Native to Europe and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

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:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden