Little Gray Firefly vs small tortoiseshell

Photinus marginellus compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Little Gray Firefly is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Little Gray Firefly	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	Lampyridae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Photinus	Aglais
Species	Photinus marginellus	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

Little Gray Firefly and small tortoiseshell share a common ancestor at the Class level: Insecta. (Insects)

Conservation Status

Little Gray Firefly

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Little Gray Firefly	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Little Gray Firefly

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found in Canada.

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.