Flag Iris vs small tortoiseshell

Iris pseudacorus compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Flag Iris is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Flag Iris	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class same	Insecta (Insects)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Mantodea (Mantodea)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Eremiaphilidae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Iris	Aglais
Species	Iris pseudacorus	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

Flag Iris and small tortoiseshell share a common ancestor at the Class level: Insecta. (Insects)

Conservation Status

Flag Iris

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Flag Iris

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (South Africa), Asia (India, Japan), Europe (7 countries), North America (Canada, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia, New Zealand), and South America (4 countries).

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 7 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇫🇮 Finland 🇮🇸 Iceland 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇸🇪 Sweden