Formosan koa vs small tortoiseshell

Acacia confusa compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

Formosan koa is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Formosan koa	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Fabales (Legumes & Allies)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Fabaceae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Acacia	Aglais
Species	Acacia confusa	Aglais urticae

Conservation Status

Formosan koa

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Formosan koa	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Formosan koa

Habitat

Inhabits tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests spanning the Indomalayan and Oceanian realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Mauritius, Seychelles), Asia (5 countries), North America (United States), and Oceania and the Pacific (Fiji, Micronesia, Palau).

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.