Lesser Clouded Yellow vs small tortoiseshell

Colias chrysotheme compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Lesser Clouded Yellow is Vulnerable while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Lesser Clouded Yellow	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	Pieridae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Colias	Aglais
Species	Colias chrysotheme	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

Lesser Clouded Yellow and small tortoiseshell share a common ancestor at the Order level: Lepidoptera. (Butterflies & Moths)

Conservation Status

Lesser Clouded Yellow

VU — Vulnerable

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Lesser Clouded Yellow	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Lesser Clouded Yellow

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found across Europe (9 countries). 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 9 countries:

🇦🇹 Austria 🇨🇿 Czech Republic 🇭🇺 Hungary 🇲🇩 Moldova 🇳🇱 Netherlands 🇷🇴 Romania 🇷🇺 Russia 🇸🇰 Slovakia 🇺🇦 Ukraine