Rove beetle vs small tortoiseshell

Anotylus insecatus compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Rove beetle is Data Deficient while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Rove 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	Staphylinidae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Anotylus	Aglais
Species	Anotylus insecatus	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

Rove beetle

DD — Data Deficient

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Rove beetle	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Rove beetle

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Canada, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, 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:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden