Mountain Milkcap vs small tortoiseshell

Lactarius salicis-reticulatae compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

Mountain Milkcap is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Mountain Milkcap	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Russulales (Russulales)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Russulaceae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Lactarius	Aglais
Species	Lactarius salicis-reticulatae	Aglais urticae

Conservation Status

Mountain Milkcap

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Mountain Milkcap	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Mountain Milkcap

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across 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.