Field Digger Wasp vs small tortoiseshell

Mellinus arvensis compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Field Digger Wasp is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Field Digger Wasp	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class same	Insecta (Insects)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees & Wasps)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Crabronidae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Mellinus	Aglais
Species	Mellinus arvensis	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

Field Digger Wasp and small tortoiseshell share a common ancestor at the Class level: Insecta. (Insects)

Conservation Status

Field Digger Wasp

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Field Digger Wasp	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Field Digger Wasp

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, 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.

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