mucronate screw moss vs small tortoiseshell

Tortula mucronifolia compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• mucronate screw moss is Vulnerable while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	mucronate screw moss	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Bryophyta	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Bryopsida (Bryopsida)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Pottiales (Pottiales)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Pottiaceae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Tortula	Aglais
Species	Tortula mucronifolia	Aglais urticae

Conservation Status

mucronate screw moss

VU — Vulnerable

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	mucronate screw moss	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

mucronate screw moss

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, tundra, and tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests spanning the Australasia and Oceanian realms.

Range

Distributed across New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, and United States. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

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 2 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden