Scrub Pine vs small tortoiseshell

Pinus albicaulis compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Scrub Pine is Endangered while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Scrub Pine	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Coniferophyta (Conifers)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Pinopsida (Conifers)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Pinales (Pines & Allies)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Pinaceae (Pine Family)	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Pinus (Pines)	Aglais
Species	Pinus albicaulis	Aglais urticae

Conservation Status

Scrub Pine

EN — Endangered

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Scrub Pine	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Scrub Pine

Habitat

Inhabits boreal forests and taiga within the Palearctic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Canada and Iceland. 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 1 countries:

🇮🇸 Iceland