eelgrass vs small tortoiseshell

Zostera marina compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• eelgrass is Vulnerable while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	eelgrass	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Liliopsida (Monocots)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Alismatales (Alismatales)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Zosteraceae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Zostera	Aglais
Species	Zostera marina	Aglais urticae

Conservation Status

eelgrass

VU — Vulnerable

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	eelgrass	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

eelgrass

Habitat

Typically found in grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated landscapes.

Range

Found across Europe (6 countries) and North America (Canada). 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 6 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇫🇷 France 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇸🇪 Sweden