Onion Smut vs small tortoiseshell

Urocystis magica compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Onion Smut is Not Evaluated while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Onion Smut	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Ustilaginomycetes (Ustilaginomycetes)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Urocystidales (Urocystidales)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Urocystidaceae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Urocystis	Aglais
Species	Urocystis magica	Aglais urticae

Conservation Status

Onion Smut

NE — Not Evaluated

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Onion Smut

Habitat

Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Norway, Poland, 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 🇵🇱 Poland 🇸🇪 Sweden