giant apple snail vs small tortoiseshell

Pomacea maculata compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• giant apple snail is Not Evaluated while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	giant apple snail	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Mollusca (Mollusks)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Gastropoda (Gastropoda)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Architaenioglossa (Architaenioglossa)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Ampullariidae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Pomacea	Aglais
Species	Pomacea maculata	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

giant apple snail and small tortoiseshell share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

giant apple snail

NE — Not Evaluated

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	giant apple snail	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

giant apple snail

Habitat

Typically found in terrestrial and aquatic habitats including forests and freshwater.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Israel, Thailand, Vietnam), Europe (Norway, Sweden), and North America (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

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 2 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden