heath fritillary vs small tortoiseshell

Melitaea athalia compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

heath fritillary is Extinct while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	heath fritillary	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 same	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Melitaea	Aglais
Species	Melitaea athalia	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

heath fritillary and small tortoiseshell share a common ancestor at the Family level: Nymphalidae. (Brush-footed Butterflies)

View Family: Nymphalidae

Conservation Status

heath fritillary

EX — Extinct

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	heath fritillary	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

heath fritillary

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found across Europe (35 countries).

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 (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.