Fiery Copper vs small tortoiseshell

Lycaena thetis compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Fiery Copper is Not Evaluated while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Fiery Copper	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	Lycaenidae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Lycaena	Aglais
Species	Lycaena thetis	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

Fiery Copper

NE — Not Evaluated

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Fiery Copper

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Greece and North Macedonia.

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:

🇬🇷 Greece 🇲🇰 North Macedonia