chequered carpet shell vs small tortoiseshell

Ruditapes decussatus compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• chequered carpet shell is Not Evaluated while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	chequered carpet shell	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Mollusca (Mollusks)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Bivalvia (Bivalvia)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Venerida (Venerida)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Veneridae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Ruditapes	Aglais
Species	Ruditapes decussatus	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

chequered carpet shell and small tortoiseshell share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

chequered carpet shell

NE — Not Evaluated

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	chequered carpet shell	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

chequered carpet shell

Habitat

Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Norway, Portugal, and Sweden.

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.

chequered carpet shell

The chequered carpet shell (Ruditapes decussatus) is a species in the genus Ruditapes. Native to Europe, 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 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇸🇪 Sweden