Many-Stalked Spike-Rush vs small tortoiseshell

Eleocharis multicaulis compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Many-Stalked Spike-Rush is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Many-Stalked Spike-Rush	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Liliopsida (Monocots)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Poales (Grasses)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Cyperaceae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Eleocharis	Aglais
Species	Eleocharis multicaulis	Aglais urticae

Conservation Status

Many-Stalked Spike-Rush

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Many-Stalked Spike-Rush	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Many-Stalked Spike-Rush

Habitat

Typically found in grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated landscapes.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, and Sweden.

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 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇸🇪 Sweden