Pine Milkcap vs small tortoiseshell

Lactarius musteus compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Pine Milkcap is Endangered while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Pine Milkcap	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Russulales (Russulales)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Russulaceae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Lactarius	Aglais
Species	Lactarius musteus	Aglais urticae

Conservation Status

Pine Milkcap

EN — Endangered

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Pine Milkcap	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Pine Milkcap

Habitat

Typically found in forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

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:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden