Damselfly vs small tortoiseshell

Enallagma civile compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

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

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Damselfly	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class same	Insecta (Insects)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Odonata (Odonata)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Coenagrionidae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Enallagma	Aglais
Species	Enallagma civile	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

Damselfly and small tortoiseshell share a common ancestor at the Class level: Insecta. (Insects)

Conservation Status

Damselfly

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Damselfly

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Colombia 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.