Cherry fruit moth vs small tortoiseshell

Argyresthia pruniella compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Cherry fruit moth is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Cherry fruit moth	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class same	Insecta (Insects)	Insecta (Insects)
Order same	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Argyresthiidae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Argyresthia	Aglais
Species	Argyresthia pruniella	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

Cherry fruit moth and small tortoiseshell share a common ancestor at the Order level: Lepidoptera. (Butterflies & Moths)

Conservation Status

Cherry fruit moth

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Cherry fruit moth	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Cherry fruit moth

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

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.

Cherry fruit moth

The Cherry fruit moth (Argyresthia pruniella) is a species in the genus Argyresthia. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. 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:

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