Hide Beetle vs small tortoiseshell

Dermestes maculatus compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Hide Beetle is Not Evaluated while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Hide Beetle	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class same	Insecta (Insects)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Coleoptera (Beetles)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Dermestidae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Dermestes	Aglais
Species	Dermestes maculatus	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

Hide Beetle and small tortoiseshell share a common ancestor at the Class level: Insecta. (Insects)

Conservation Status

Hide Beetle

NE — Not Evaluated

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Hide Beetle	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Hide Beetle

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Japan, Taiwan), Europe (15 countries), North America (Canada), and South America (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 15 countries:

🇦🇱 Albania 🇦🇹 Austria 🇧🇪 Belgium 🇧🇬 Bulgaria 🇫🇷 France 🇮🇪 Ireland 🇱🇹 Lithuania 🇲🇹 Malta 🇳🇱 Netherlands 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇱 Poland 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇨🇭 Switzerland 🇬🇧 United Kingdom