Greater Copperwort vs small tortoiseshell

Cephaloziella nicholsonii compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Greater Copperwort is Endangered while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Greater Copperwort	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Marchantiophyta (liverwort)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Jungermanniopsida (Jungermanniopsida)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Jungermanniales (Jungermanniales)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Cephaloziellaceae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Cephaloziella	Aglais
Species	Cephaloziella nicholsonii	Aglais urticae

Conservation Status

Greater Copperwort

EN — Endangered

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Greater Copperwort	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Greater Copperwort

Habitat

Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Found in Norway. Currently classified as Endangered 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 1 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway