Common dung beetle vs small tortoiseshell

Aphodius fimetarius compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Common dung beetle is Not Evaluated while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common dung beetle	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class same	Insecta (Insects)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Coleoptera (Beetles)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Scarabaeidae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Aphodius	Aglais
Species	Aphodius fimetarius	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

Common dung beetle and small tortoiseshell share a common ancestor at the Class level: Insecta. (Insects)

Conservation Status

Common dung beetle

NE — Not Evaluated

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common dung beetle	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common dung beetle

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found across Europe (6 countries) and North America (Canada, 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.

Common dung beetle

Common dung beetle (Aphodius fimetarius) is classified as Not Evaluated (NE) on the IUCN Red List. Not yet evaluated against IUCN Red List criteria. Conservation status remains to be determined.

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 6 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇨🇭 Switzerland