Chalky Macoma vs small tortoiseshell

Macoma calcarea compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Chalky Macoma is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Chalky Macoma	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Mollusca (Mollusks)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Bivalvia (Bivalvia)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Cardiida (Cardiida)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Tellinidae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Macoma	Aglais
Species	Macoma calcarea	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

Chalky Macoma and small tortoiseshell share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Chalky Macoma

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Chalky Macoma	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Chalky Macoma

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.

Chalky Macoma

The Chalky Macoma (Macoma calcarea) is a species in the genus Macoma. It is currently classified as Least Concern 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