Silverfish vs small tortoiseshell

Ctenolepisma longicaudatum compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Silverfish is Not Evaluated while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Silverfish	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class same	Insecta (Insects)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Zygentoma (Zygentoma)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Lepismatidae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Ctenolepisma	Aglais
Species	Ctenolepisma longicaudatum	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

Silverfish

NE — Not Evaluated

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Silverfish	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Silverfish

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (South Africa), Asia (Cyprus, Taiwan), Europe (11 countries), and North America (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 11 countries:

🇦🇹 Austria 🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇫🇷 France 🇮🇹 Italy 🇲🇹 Malta 🇳🇱 Netherlands 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇬🇧 United Kingdom