Orange Cup vs small tortoiseshell

Melastiza cornubiensis compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Orange Cup is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Orange Cup	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Pezizomycetes (Pezizomycetes)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Pezizales (Pezizales)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Pyronemataceae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Melastiza	Aglais
Species	Melastiza cornubiensis	Aglais urticae

Conservation Status

Orange Cup

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Orange Cup

Habitat

Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, 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.

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