Creeping Spikemoss vs small tortoiseshell

Selaginella apoda compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Creeping Spikemoss is Not Evaluated while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Creeping Spikemoss	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Tracheophyta	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Lycopodiopsida (Lycopodiopsida)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Selaginellales (Selaginellales)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Selaginellaceae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Selaginella	Aglais
Species	Selaginella apoda	Aglais urticae

Conservation Status

Creeping Spikemoss

NE — Not Evaluated

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Creeping Spikemoss	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Creeping Spikemoss

Habitat

Native to Europe and North America and South America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Chile, Germany, 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.

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 1 countries:

🇩🇪 Germany