Northern Red-backed Vole vs small tortoiseshell

Myodes rutilus compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Northern Red-backed Vole is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Northern Red-backed Vole	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Rodentia (Rodents)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Cricetidae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Myodes	Aglais
Species	Myodes rutilus	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

Northern Red-backed Vole and small tortoiseshell share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Northern Red-backed Vole

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Northern Red-backed Vole	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Northern Red-backed Vole

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Norway, Russia, and Sweden.

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 3 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway 🇷🇺 Russia 🇸🇪 Sweden