Fox-tail Feather-moss vs small tortoiseshell

Thamnobryum alopecurum compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Fox-tail Feather-moss is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Fox-tail Feather-moss	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Bryophyta	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Bryopsida (Bryopsida)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Hypnales (Hypnales)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Neckeraceae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Thamnobryum	Aglais
Species	Thamnobryum alopecurum	Aglais urticae

Conservation Status

Fox-tail Feather-moss

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Fox-tail Feather-moss	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Fox-tail Feather-moss

Habitat

Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, and Sweden.

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 5 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇸🇪 Sweden