small tortoiseshell vs Smooth Newt

Aglais urticae compared with Lissotriton vulgaris

Key Differences

• small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened while Smooth Newt is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	small tortoiseshell	Smooth Newt
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Amphibia (Amphibians)
Order	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Caudata (Caudata)
Family	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)	Salamandridae
Genus	Aglais	Lissotriton
Species	Aglais urticae	Lissotriton vulgaris

Evolutionary Relationship

small tortoiseshell and Smooth Newt share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Smooth Newt

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	small tortoiseshell	Smooth Newt
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.

Smooth Newt

Habitat

Typically found in freshwater habitats, moist forests, and wetlands.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

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 4 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden