Dotted Bee-fly vs small tortoiseshell

Bombylius discolor compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Dotted Bee-fly is Not Evaluated while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Dotted Bee-fly	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class same	Insecta (Insects)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Diptera (Diptera)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Bombyliidae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Bombylius	Aglais
Species	Bombylius discolor	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

Dotted Bee-fly and small tortoiseshell share a common ancestor at the Class level: Insecta. (Insects)

Conservation Status

Dotted Bee-fly

NE — Not Evaluated

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Dotted Bee-fly	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Dotted Bee-fly

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

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 4 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden