small tortoiseshell vs Smith's Brome

Aglais urticae compared with Bromus pseudosecalinus

Key Differences

• small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened while Smith's Brome is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	small tortoiseshell	Smith's Brome
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Liliopsida (Monocots)
Order	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Poales (Grasses)
Family	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)	Poaceae (Grass Family)
Genus	Aglais	Bromus
Species	Aglais urticae	Bromus pseudosecalinus

Conservation Status

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Smith's Brome

CR — Critically Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	small tortoiseshell	Smith's Brome
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic 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.

Smith's Brome

Habitat

Inhabits temperate broadleaf and mixed forests and temperate coniferous forests within the Palearctic biogeographic realm.

Range

Found across Europe (8 countries). Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

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 8 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇫🇷 France 🇮🇪 Ireland 🇳🇱 Netherlands 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇬🇧 United Kingdom