mountain spike-moss vs small tortoiseshell

Selaginella densa compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

mountain spike-moss is Not Evaluated while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	mountain spike-moss	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Tracheophyta	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Lycopodiopsida (Lycopodiopsida)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Selaginellales (Selaginellales)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Selaginellaceae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Selaginella	Aglais
Species	Selaginella densa	Aglais urticae

Conservation Status

mountain spike-moss

NE — Not Evaluated

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	mountain spike-moss	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

mountain spike-moss

Habitat

Native to North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Found in Canada.

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.