vs small tortoiseshell

Exobasidium splendidum compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank		small tortoiseshell
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Exobasidiomycetes (Exobasidiomycetes)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Exobasidiales (Exobasidiales)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Exobasidiaceae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Exobasidium	Aglais
Species	Exobasidium splendidum	Aglais urticae

Conservation Status

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Habitat

Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, 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.

Exobasidium splendidum is a parasitic basidiomycete fungus that forms galls and hypertrophied growths on the leaves and stems of host plants in the heath family. It inhabits boreal and montane habitats where Ericaceae shrubs such as Arctostaphylos grow. This parasitic fungus deforms host plant tissue to extract nutrients during its reproductive phase.

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 3 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden