Obscure Drill vs small tortoiseshell

Dichrorampha aeratana compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Obscure Drill is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Obscure Drill	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	Tortricidae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Dichrorampha	Aglais
Species	Dichrorampha aeratana	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

Obscure Drill and small tortoiseshell share a common ancestor at the Order level: Lepidoptera. (Butterflies & Moths)

Conservation Status

Obscure Drill

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Obscure Drill

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, 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.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden