Madiera cranesbill vs small tortoiseshell

Geranium maderense compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Madiera cranesbill is Critically Endangered while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Madiera cranesbill	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Geraniales (Geraniales)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Geraniaceae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Geranium	Aglais
Species	Geranium maderense	Aglais urticae

Conservation Status

Madiera cranesbill

CR — Critically Endangered

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Madiera cranesbill	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Madiera cranesbill

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, temperate coniferous forests, and Mediterranean forests and woodlands within the Palearctic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, France, Netherlands, Portugal, and United Kingdom. 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 5 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇫🇷 France 🇳🇱 Netherlands 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇬🇧 United Kingdom