Large rove beetle vs small tortoiseshell

Quedius fulgidus compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Large rove beetle is Endangered while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Large rove beetle	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class same	Insecta (Insects)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Coleoptera (Beetles)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Staphylinidae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Quedius	Aglais
Species	Quedius fulgidus	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

Large rove beetle and small tortoiseshell share a common ancestor at the Class level: Insecta. (Insects)

Conservation Status

Large rove beetle

EN — Endangered

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Large rove beetle	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Large rove beetle

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, among 4 distinct biome types spanning the Australasia and Indomalayan realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Indonesia), Europe (Denmark, Norway, Sweden), North America (Canada, United States), and South America (Chile). Currently classified as Endangered 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:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden