Hedgehog arion vs small tortoiseshell

Arion intermedius compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Hedgehog arion is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Hedgehog arion	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Mollusca (Mollusks)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Gastropoda (Gastropoda)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Stylommatophora (Stylommatophora)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Arionidae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Arion	Aglais
Species	Arion intermedius	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

Hedgehog arion and small tortoiseshell share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Hedgehog arion

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Hedgehog arion	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Hedgehog arion

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (South Africa), Europe (7 countries), North America (Mexico, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (New Zealand), and South America (Chile, Colombia).

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 7 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇫🇷 France 🇮🇹 Italy 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇸🇪 Sweden