Pigmy Skipper vs small tortoiseshell

Gegenes pumilio compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Pigmy Skipper is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Pigmy Skipper	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	Hesperiidae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Gegenes	Aglais
Species	Gegenes pumilio	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

Pigmy Skipper

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Pigmy Skipper	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Pigmy Skipper

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found across Asia (Cyprus) and Europe (10 countries).

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 10 countries:

🇦🇱 Albania 🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina 🇧🇬 Bulgaria 🇭🇷 Croatia 🇫🇷 France 🇬🇷 Greece 🇮🇹 Italy 🇲🇹 Malta 🇲🇪 Montenegro 🇪🇸 Spain