Dock aphid vs small tortoiseshell

Brachycaudus rumexicolens compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Dock aphid is Not Evaluated while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Dock aphid	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class same	Insecta (Insects)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Hemiptera (Hemiptera)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Aphididae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Brachycaudus	Aglais
Species	Brachycaudus rumexicolens	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

Dock aphid

NE — Not Evaluated

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Dock aphid	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Dock aphid

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found across Europe (19 countries) and North America (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 19 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇨🇿 Czech Republic 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇫🇮 Finland 🇫🇷 France 🇩🇪 Germany 🇮🇹 Italy 🇳🇱 Netherlands 🇲🇰 North Macedonia 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇱 Poland 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇷🇴 Romania 🇷🇺 Russia 🇸🇰 Slovakia 🇪🇸 Spain 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇺🇦 Ukraine 🇬🇧 United Kingdom