small tortoiseshell vs Spearhead Bluet

Aglais urticae compared with Coenagrion hastulatum

Key Differences

• small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened while Spearhead Bluet is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	small tortoiseshell	Spearhead Bluet
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class same	Insecta (Insects)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Odonata (Odonata)
Family	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)	Coenagrionidae
Genus	Aglais	Coenagrion
Species	Aglais urticae	Coenagrion hastulatum

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Spearhead Bluet

CR — Critically Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	small tortoiseshell	Spearhead Bluet
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.

Spearhead Bluet

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. 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 4 countries:

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