Garlic Snail vs small tortoiseshell

Oxychilus alliarius compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Garlic Snail is Vulnerable while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Garlic Snail	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Mollusca (Mollusks)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Gastropoda (Gastropoda)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Stylommatophora (Stylommatophora)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Oxychilidae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Oxychilus	Aglais
Species	Oxychilus alliarius	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

Garlic Snail and small tortoiseshell share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Garlic Snail

VU — Vulnerable

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Garlic Snail	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Garlic Snail

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, tundra, and tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, among 4 distinct biome types spanning the Australasia and Oceanian and Palearctic realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (South Africa), Europe (7 countries), North America (United States), Oceania and the Pacific (New Zealand), and South America (Chile). Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

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 🇫🇷 France 🇬🇷 Greece 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇸🇪 Sweden