Grizzled Skipper vs small tortoiseshell

Pyrgus centaureae compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Grizzled Skipper is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Grizzled Skipper	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class same	Insecta (Insects)	Insecta (Insects)
Order same	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Hesperiidae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Pyrgus	Aglais
Species	Pyrgus centaureae	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

Grizzled Skipper and small tortoiseshell share a common ancestor at the Order level: Lepidoptera. (Butterflies & Moths)

Conservation Status

Grizzled Skipper

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Grizzled Skipper	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Grizzled Skipper

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Finland, Norway, Russia, 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 4 countries:

🇫🇮 Finland 🇳🇴 Norway 🇷🇺 Russia 🇸🇪 Sweden