Curly Beardless-moss vs small tortoiseshell

Weissia condensa compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Curly Beardless-moss is Endangered while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Curly Beardless-moss	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Bryophyta	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Bryopsida (Bryopsida)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Pottiales (Pottiales)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Pottiaceae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Weissia	Aglais
Species	Weissia condensa	Aglais urticae

Conservation Status

Curly Beardless-moss

EN — Endangered

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Curly Beardless-moss	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Curly Beardless-moss

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Luxembourg, Norway, and Portugal. Currently classified as Endangered 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 3 countries:

🇱🇺 Luxembourg 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇹 Portugal