small tortoiseshell vs Sooty skate

Aglais urticae compared with Rajella fuliginea

Key Differences

• small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened while Sooty skate is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	small tortoiseshell	Sooty skate
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Elasmobranchii
Order	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Rajiformes (Rajiformes)
Family	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)	Rajidae
Genus	Aglais	Rajella
Species	Aglais urticae	Rajella fuliginea

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Sooty skate

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	small tortoiseshell	Sooty skate
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.

Sooty skate

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.