Natal plum vs small tortoiseshell

Carissa macrocarpa compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

Natal plum is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Natal plum	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Gentianales (Gentianales)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Apocynaceae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Carissa	Aglais
Species	Carissa macrocarpa	Aglais urticae

Conservation Status

Natal plum

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Natal plum	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Natal plum

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (South Africa), Asia (India, Taiwan), North America (United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia), and South America (Brazil, Colombia).

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.