Eastern Eggar vs small tortoiseshell

Eriogaster catax compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Eastern Eggar is Data Deficient while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Eastern Eggar	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class same	Insecta (Insects)	Insecta (Insects)
Order same	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Lasiocampidae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Eriogaster	Aglais
Species	Eriogaster catax	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

Eastern Eggar and small tortoiseshell share a common ancestor at the Order level: Lepidoptera. (Butterflies & Moths)

Conservation Status

Eastern Eggar

DD — Data Deficient

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Eastern Eggar	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Eastern Eggar

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium and Ukraine.

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:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇺🇦 Ukraine