Elastic Saddle vs small tortoiseshell

Helvella elastica compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Elastic Saddle is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Elastic Saddle	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Pezizomycetes (Pezizomycetes)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Pezizales (Pezizales)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Helvellaceae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Helvella	Aglais
Species	Helvella elastica	Aglais urticae

Conservation Status

Elastic Saddle

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Elastic Saddle	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Elastic Saddle

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (4 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 4 countries:

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