Larch sawfly vs small tortoiseshell

Pristiphora erichsonii compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Larch sawfly is Not Evaluated while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Larch sawfly	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class same	Insecta (Insects)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees & Wasps)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Tenthredinidae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Pristiphora	Aglais
Species	Pristiphora erichsonii	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

Larch sawfly

NE — Not Evaluated

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Larch sawfly

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Japan), Europe (11 countries), and North America (Canada, United States).

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 11 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇪🇪 Estonia 🇫🇷 France 🇮🇪 Ireland 🇱🇻 Latvia 🇳🇱 Netherlands 🇳🇴 Norway 🇪🇸 Spain 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇬🇧 United Kingdom