Lance-Leaf Moonwort vs small tortoiseshell

Botrychium lanceolatum compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Lance-Leaf Moonwort is Vulnerable while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Lance-Leaf Moonwort	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Tracheophyta	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Polypodiopsida (Polypodiopsida)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Ophioglossales (Ophioglossales)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Ophioglossaceae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Botrychium	Aglais
Species	Botrychium lanceolatum	Aglais urticae

Conservation Status

Lance-Leaf Moonwort

VU — Vulnerable

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Lance-Leaf Moonwort	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Lance-Leaf Moonwort

Habitat

Typically found in moist, shaded forest floors and tropical canopies.

Range

Distributed across Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and United States. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

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 3 countries:

🇮🇸 Iceland 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden