Krauss' spikemoss vs small tortoiseshell

Selaginella kraussiana compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Krauss' spikemoss is Not Evaluated while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Krauss' spikemoss	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Tracheophyta	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Lycopodiopsida (Lycopodiopsida)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Selaginellales (Selaginellales)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Selaginellaceae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Selaginella	Aglais
Species	Selaginella kraussiana	Aglais urticae

Conservation Status

Krauss' spikemoss

NE — Not Evaluated

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Krauss' spikemoss	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Krauss' spikemoss

Habitat

Native to Europe and North America and Oceania, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (10 countries), North America (Jamaica, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia, New Zealand), and South America (Brazil).

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 10 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇫🇷 France 🇮🇪 Ireland 🇮🇹 Italy 🇳🇱 Netherlands 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇪🇸 Spain 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇬🇧 United Kingdom