Northern Firefly vs small tortoiseshell

Pyractomena borealis compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Northern Firefly is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Northern Firefly	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class same	Insecta (Insects)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Coleoptera (Beetles)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Lampyridae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Pyractomena	Aglais
Species	Pyractomena borealis	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

Northern Firefly and small tortoiseshell share a common ancestor at the Class level: Insecta. (Insects)

Conservation Status

Northern Firefly

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Northern Firefly	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Northern Firefly

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Canada 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

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.