Pitted Beard Lichen vs small tortoiseshell

Usnea cavernosa compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

Pitted Beard Lichen is Not Evaluated while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Pitted Beard Lichen	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Lecanoromycetes (Lecanoromycetes)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Lecanorales (Lecanorales)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Parmeliaceae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Usnea	Aglais
Species	Usnea cavernosa	Aglais urticae

Conservation Status

Pitted Beard Lichen

NE — Not Evaluated

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Pitted Beard Lichen	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Pitted Beard Lichen

Habitat

Native to Europe and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Norway and 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 (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.