Limestone Violet vs small tortoiseshell

Viola calcicola compared with Aglais urticae

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Limestone Violet	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Malpighiales (Malpighiales)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Violaceae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Viola	Aglais
Species	Viola calcicola	Aglais urticae

Conservation Status

Limestone Violet

NT — Near Threatened

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Limestone Violet	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Limestone Violet

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

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 (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.