Crab Apple vs small tortoiseshell

Malus sylvestris compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Crab Apple is Vulnerable while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Crab Apple	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Rosales (Roses & Allies)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Rosaceae (Rose Family)	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Malus	Aglais
Species	Malus sylvestris	Aglais urticae

Conservation Status

Crab Apple

VU — Vulnerable

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Crab Apple	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Crab Apple

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including deserts and xeric shrublands, tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, and temperate grasslands and steppes, among 5 distinct biome types spanning the Afrotropic and Neotropic realms.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (India, Yemen), Europe (9 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Argentina, Brazil). Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

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 9 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇫🇮 Finland 🇮🇪 Ireland 🇲🇹 Malta 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇺🇦 Ukraine