glossy furrow-shell vs small tortoiseshell

Abra nitida compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• glossy furrow-shell is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	glossy furrow-shell	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Mollusca (Mollusks)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Bivalvia (Bivalvia)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Cardiida (Cardiida)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Semelidae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Abra	Aglais
Species	Abra nitida	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

glossy furrow-shell and small tortoiseshell share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

glossy furrow-shell

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	glossy furrow-shell	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

glossy furrow-shell

Habitat

Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Norway 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 2 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden