iron-grass vs small tortoiseshell

Spermacoce confusa compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• iron-grass is Not Evaluated while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	iron-grass	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Gentianales (Gentianales)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Rubiaceae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Spermacoce	Aglais
Species	Spermacoce confusa	Aglais urticae

Conservation Status

iron-grass

NE — Not Evaluated

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	iron-grass	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

iron-grass

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Distributed across Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Timor-Leste.

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.