Redshouldered ham beetle vs small tortoiseshell

Necrobia ruficollis compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Redshouldered ham beetle is Endangered while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Redshouldered ham beetle	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class same	Insecta (Insects)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Coleoptera (Beetles)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Cleridae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Necrobia	Aglais
Species	Necrobia ruficollis	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

Redshouldered ham beetle and small tortoiseshell share a common ancestor at the Class level: Insecta. (Insects)

Conservation Status

Redshouldered ham beetle

EN — Endangered

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Redshouldered ham beetle	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Redshouldered ham beetle

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, temperate coniferous forests, and temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, among 8 distinct biome types spanning the Indomalayan and Oceanian and Palearctic realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (China, Japan, Taiwan), Europe (12 countries), and North America (Canada, United States). Currently classified as 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 12 countries:

🇦🇹 Austria 🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇪🇪 Estonia 🇫🇮 Finland 🇭🇺 Hungary 🇱🇹 Lithuania 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇪🇸 Spain 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇨🇭 Switzerland