Scarce Notchwort vs small tortoiseshell

Mesoptychia badensis compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

Scarce Notchwort is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Scarce Notchwort	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Marchantiophyta (liverwort)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Jungermanniopsida (Jungermanniopsida)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Jungermanniales (Jungermanniales)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Jungermanniaceae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Mesoptychia	Aglais
Species	Mesoptychia badensis	Aglais urticae

Conservation Status

Scarce Notchwort

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Scarce Notchwort	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Scarce Notchwort

Habitat

Native to Europe and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across 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 (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.