lizard crystalwort vs small tortoiseshell

Riccia bifurca compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• lizard crystalwort is Endangered while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	lizard crystalwort	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Marchantiophyta (liverwort)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Marchantiopsida (Marchantiopsida)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Marchantiales (Marchantiales)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Ricciaceae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Riccia	Aglais
Species	Riccia bifurca	Aglais urticae

Conservation Status

lizard crystalwort

EN — Endangered

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	lizard crystalwort	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

lizard crystalwort

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, tundra, and tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests spanning the Australasia and Oceanian realms.

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (5 countries), North America (United States), and Oceania and the Pacific (New Zealand). 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 5 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇱🇺 Luxembourg 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇸🇪 Sweden