Pea aphid vs small tortoiseshell

Acyrthosiphon primulae compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Pea aphid is Not Evaluated while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Pea aphid	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class same	Insecta (Insects)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Hemiptera (Hemiptera)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Aphididae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Acyrthosiphon	Aglais
Species	Acyrthosiphon primulae	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

Pea aphid and small tortoiseshell share a common ancestor at the Class level: Insecta. (Insects)

Conservation Status

Pea aphid

NE — Not Evaluated

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Pea aphid

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found across Europe (17 countries) and North America (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 17 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇧🇬 Bulgaria 🇨🇿 Czech Republic 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇫🇷 France 🇩🇪 Germany 🇬🇷 Greece 🇮🇪 Ireland 🇮🇹 Italy 🇳🇱 Netherlands 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇸🇰 Slovakia 🇪🇸 Spain 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇨🇭 Switzerland 🇬🇧 United Kingdom