painted ray vs small tortoiseshell

Raja microocellata compared with Aglais urticae

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	painted ray	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Elasmobranchii	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Rajiformes (Rajiformes)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Rajidae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Raja	Aglais
Species	Raja microocellata	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

painted ray and small tortoiseshell share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

painted ray

NT — Near Threatened

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

painted ray

Habitat

Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Belgium and Denmark. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

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 2 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark