vs small tortoiseshell

Nostoc sphaericum compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• is Not Evaluated while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank		small tortoiseshell
Kingdom	Bacteria (Bacteria)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Cyanobacteria (Cyanobacteria)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Cyanobacteriia	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Cyanobacteriales	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Nostocaceae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Nostoc	Aglais
Species	Nostoc sphaericum	Aglais urticae

Conservation Status

NE — Not Evaluated

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Habitat

Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Norway 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.

Nostoc sphaericum is a colonial, nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterium in the family Nostocaceae, forming gelatinous spherical or irregular colonies visible to the naked eye. It inhabits moist soils, rocks, and freshwater environments, often forming conspicuous blobs after rainfall.

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