Red spider mite vs small tortoiseshell

Tetranychus ludeni compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Red spider mite is Not Evaluated while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Red spider mite	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Arachnida (Arachnids)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Trombidiformes (Trombidiformes)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Tetranychidae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Tetranychus	Aglais
Species	Tetranychus ludeni	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

Red spider mite and small tortoiseshell share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Arthropoda. (Arthropods)

Conservation Status

Red spider mite

NE — Not Evaluated

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Red spider mite	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Red spider mite

Habitat

Typically found in terrestrial habitats from forests to deserts.

Range

Distributed across Germany, Portugal, Sweden, Taiwan, 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 3 countries:

🇩🇪 Germany 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇸🇪 Sweden