Meadow Waxcap vs small tortoiseshell

Cuphophyllus pratensis compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

Meadow Waxcap is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Meadow Waxcap	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Hygrophoraceae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Cuphophyllus	Aglais
Species	Cuphophyllus pratensis	Aglais urticae

Conservation Status

Meadow Waxcap

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Meadow Waxcap	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Meadow Waxcap

Habitat

Typically found in forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across 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 (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.