Red Wasp vs small tortoiseshell

Vespula rufa compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Red Wasp is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Red Wasp	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class same	Insecta (Insects)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees & Wasps)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Vespidae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Vespula	Aglais
Species	Vespula rufa	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

Red Wasp and small tortoiseshell share a common ancestor at the Class level: Insecta. (Insects)

Conservation Status

Red Wasp

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Red Wasp

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found across Asia (Taiwan) and Europe (5 countries).

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 5 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇮🇸 Iceland 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden