limestone fern vs small tortoiseshell

Gymnocarpium robertianum compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• limestone fern is Critically Endangered while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	limestone fern	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Tracheophyta	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Polypodiopsida (Polypodiopsida)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Polypodiales (Polypodiales)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Cystopteridaceae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Gymnocarpium	Aglais
Species	Gymnocarpium robertianum	Aglais urticae

Conservation Status

limestone fern

CR — Critically Endangered

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	limestone fern	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

limestone fern

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Canada, Norway, and Sweden. Currently classified as Critically 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:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden