Scarce alder slender vs small tortoiseshell

Caloptilia falconipennella compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Scarce alder slender is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Scarce alder slender	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class same	Insecta (Insects)	Insecta (Insects)
Order same	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Gracillariidae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Caloptilia	Aglais
Species	Caloptilia falconipennella	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

Scarce alder slender and small tortoiseshell share a common ancestor at the Order level: Lepidoptera. (Butterflies & Moths)

Conservation Status

Scarce alder slender

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Scarce alder slender	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Scarce alder slender

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found across Europe (6 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 6 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇮🇹 Italy 🇳🇴 Norway 🇷🇺 Russia 🇸🇪 Sweden