Red Abalone vs small tortoiseshell

Haliotis rufescens compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Red Abalone is Critically Endangered while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Red Abalone	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Mollusca (Mollusks)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Gastropoda (Gastropoda)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Lepetellida (Lepetellida)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Haliotidae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Haliotis	Aglais
Species	Haliotis rufescens	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

Red Abalone and small tortoiseshell share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Red Abalone

CR — Critically Endangered

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Red Abalone	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Red Abalone

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, temperate coniferous forests, and tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, among 9 distinct biome types spanning the Indomalayan and Neotropic and Palearctic realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Chile, China, Norway, Peru, and Taiwan. Currently classified as Critically 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 1 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway