Large Copper vs small tortoiseshell

Lycaena dispar compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

Large Copper is Not Evaluated while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Large Copper	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class same	Insecta (Insects)	Insecta (Insects)
Order same	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Lycaenidae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Lycaena	Aglais
Species	Lycaena dispar	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

Large Copper and small tortoiseshell share a common ancestor at the Order level: Lepidoptera. (Butterflies & Moths)

View Order: Lepidoptera

Conservation Status

Large Copper

NE — Not Evaluated

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Large Copper

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found across Europe (33 countries).

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.

Large Copper

Large Copper (Lycaena dispar) is classified as Not Evaluated (NE) on the IUCN Red List. Not yet evaluated against IUCN Red List criteria. Conservation status remains to be determined.

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.