Forest Bead-string vs small tortoiseshell

Alchornea hirtella compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

Forest Bead-string is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Forest Bead-string	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Malpighiales (Malpighiales)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Euphorbiaceae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Alchornea	Aglais
Species	Alchornea hirtella	Aglais urticae

Conservation Status

Forest Bead-string

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Forest Bead-string	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Forest Bead-string

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Found in Guinea.

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.