Floating Bur-Reed vs small tortoiseshell

Sparganium fluctuans compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

Floating Bur-Reed is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Floating Bur-Reed	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Liliopsida (Monocots)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Poales (Grasses)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Typhaceae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Sparganium	Aglais
Species	Sparganium fluctuans	Aglais urticae

Conservation Status

Floating Bur-Reed

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Floating Bur-Reed	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Floating Bur-Reed

Habitat

Typically found in grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated landscapes.

Range

Distributed across Canada and 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 (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.