Common iceplant vs small tortoiseshell

Mesembryanthemum crystallinum compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

Common iceplant is Not Evaluated while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common iceplant	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Caryophyllales (Caryophyllales)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Aizoaceae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Mesembryanthemum	Aglais
Species	Mesembryanthemum crystallinum	Aglais urticae

Conservation Status

Common iceplant

NE — Not Evaluated

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common iceplant	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common iceplant

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Cyprus, India, Turkey), Europe (13 countries), North America (Mexico, United States), and South America (Chile, Ecuador).

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 iceplant

<em>Mesembryanthemum crystallinum</em>, commonly known as the common iceplant, is a succulent annual or short-lived perennial in the family Aizoaceae. Its conservation status has not been formally evaluated by the IUCN. The species is distributed across Asia, Europe, North America, and South America, with a wide global footprint that includes both native populations and naturalized occurrences. It typically inhabits coastal and arid environments, saline soils, disturbed ground, and rocky slopes where competition from other vegetation is limited. The plant is named for the glistening bladder-like cells on its surface that resemble ice crystals. Diet information for this species is not available in current records. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.

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.