Cutleaf geranium vs small tortoiseshell

Geranium dissectum compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Cutleaf geranium is Endangered while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Cutleaf geranium	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Geraniales (Geraniales)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Geraniaceae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Geranium	Aglais
Species	Geranium dissectum	Aglais urticae

Conservation Status

Cutleaf geranium

EN — Endangered

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Cutleaf geranium	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Cutleaf geranium

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, montane grasslands and shrublands, and Mediterranean forests and woodlands, among 9 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (South Africa), Asia (Iran, Japan, South Korea), Europe (20 countries), North America (Canada, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia), and South America (Argentina, Brazil, Chile). 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 20 countries:

🇧🇾 Belarus 🇧🇪 Belgium 🇧🇬 Bulgaria 🇨🇿 Czech Republic 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇪🇪 Estonia 🇫🇮 Finland 🇫🇷 France 🇩🇪 Germany 🇮🇪 Ireland 🇱🇹 Lithuania 🇳🇱 Netherlands 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇱 Poland 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇸🇰 Slovakia 🇪🇸 Spain 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇺🇦 Ukraine 🇬🇧 United Kingdom