Small-leaf spiderwort vs small tortoiseshell

Tradescantia fluminensis compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Small-leaf spiderwort is Not Evaluated while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Small-leaf spiderwort	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Liliopsida (Monocots)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Commelinales (Commelinales)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Commelinaceae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Tradescantia	Aglais
Species	Tradescantia fluminensis	Aglais urticae

Conservation Status

Small-leaf spiderwort

NE — Not Evaluated

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Small-leaf spiderwort	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Small-leaf spiderwort

Habitat

Typically found in grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated landscapes.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Eswatini, Kenya, South Africa), Asia (5 countries), Europe (13 countries), North America (United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia, New Zealand), and South America (5 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 13 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina 🇭🇷 Croatia 🇫🇷 France 🇬🇷 Greece 🇮🇹 Italy 🇳🇱 Netherlands 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇷🇴 Romania 🇪🇸 Spain 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇬🇧 United Kingdom