Marsh Snipe Fly vs small tortoiseshell

Rhagio tringaria compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Marsh Snipe Fly is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Marsh Snipe Fly	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class same	Insecta (Insects)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Diptera (Diptera)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Rhagionidae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Rhagio	Aglais
Species	Rhagio tringaria	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

Marsh Snipe Fly and small tortoiseshell share a common ancestor at the Class level: Insecta. (Insects)

Conservation Status

Marsh Snipe Fly

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Marsh Snipe Fly	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Marsh Snipe Fly

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and United States.

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 4 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden