Dark Red Disc Lichen vs small tortoiseshell

Lecidea erythrophaea compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Dark Red Disc Lichen is Vulnerable while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Dark Red Disc Lichen	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Lecanoromycetes (Lecanoromycetes)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Lecideales (Lecideales)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Lecideaceae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Lecidea	Aglais
Species	Lecidea erythrophaea	Aglais urticae

Conservation Status

Dark Red Disc Lichen

VU — Vulnerable

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Dark Red Disc Lichen	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Dark Red Disc Lichen

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and United States. 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 3 countries:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden