Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet vs small tortoiseshell

Zygaena lonicerae compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet is Endangered while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class same	Insecta (Insects)	Insecta (Insects)
Order same	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Zygaenidae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Zygaena	Aglais
Species	Zygaena lonicerae	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet and small tortoiseshell share a common ancestor at the Order level: Lepidoptera. (Butterflies & Moths)

Conservation Status

Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet

EN — Endangered

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland. Currently classified as Endangered 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 5 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇨🇭 Switzerland