vs small tortoiseshell

Hypoxylon petriniae compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank		small tortoiseshell
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Sordariomycetes (Sordariomycetes)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Xylariales (Xylariales)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Hypoxylaceae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Hypoxylon	Aglais
Species	Hypoxylon petriniae	Aglais urticae

Conservation Status

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Habitat

Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, 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.

Hypoxylon petriniae is a wood-inhabiting pyrenomycete fungus producing small, cushion-shaped stromata on dead hardwood bark. It inhabits temperate forests across Europe and related regions where suitable deadwood hosts are available. This saprotrophic fungus decomposes the cellulose and lignin of dead woody tissues.

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:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden