Recurved Peatmoss vs small tortoiseshell

Sphagnum recurvum compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Recurved Peatmoss is Not Evaluated while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Recurved Peatmoss	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Bryophyta	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Sphagnopsida (Sphagnopsida)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Sphagnales (Sphagnales)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Sphagnaceae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Sphagnum	Aglais
Species	Sphagnum recurvum	Aglais urticae

Conservation Status

Recurved Peatmoss

NE — Not Evaluated

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Recurved Peatmoss	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Recurved Peatmoss

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Brazil, Colombia, Norway, Portugal, 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

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:

🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇹 Portugal