Downy Veilwort vs small tortoiseshell

Metzgeria pubescens compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Downy Veilwort is Endangered while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Downy Veilwort	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Marchantiophyta (liverwort)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Jungermanniopsida (Jungermanniopsida)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Metzgeriales (Metzgeriales)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Metzgeriaceae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Metzgeria	Aglais
Species	Metzgeria pubescens	Aglais urticae

Conservation Status

Downy Veilwort

EN — Endangered

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Downy Veilwort	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Downy Veilwort

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Norway, Sweden, Taiwan, and United States. 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 2 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden