Moss Bell vs small tortoiseshell

Galerina hypnorum compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Moss Bell is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Moss Bell	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	Hymenogastraceae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Galerina	Aglais
Species	Galerina hypnorum	Aglais urticae

Conservation Status

Moss Bell

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Moss Bell	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Moss Bell

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (5 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Brazil).

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