Couchgrass vs small tortoiseshell

Elymus repens compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Couchgrass is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Couchgrass	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Liliopsida (Monocots)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Poales (Grasses)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Poaceae (Grass Family)	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Elymus	Aglais
Species	Elymus repens	Aglais urticae

Conservation Status

Couchgrass

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Couchgrass	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Couchgrass

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, deserts and xeric shrublands, and temperate coniferous forests, among 5 distinct biome types spanning the Australasia and Palearctic realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Egypt, South Africa), Asia (Iran, North Korea), Europe (4 countries), North America (Canada, Mexico, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Papua New Guinea), and South America (Argentina, Brazil, Chile).

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.

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 🇫🇷 France 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇹 Portugal