small tortoiseshell vs Speckled Tar Spot

Aglais urticae compared with Rhytisma punctatum

Key Differences

small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened while Speckled Tar Spot is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	small tortoiseshell	Speckled Tar Spot
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Leotiomycetes (Leotiomycetes)
Order	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Rhytismatales (Rhytismatales)
Family	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)	Rhytismataceae
Genus	Aglais	Rhytisma
Species	Aglais urticae	Rhytisma punctatum

Conservation Status

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Speckled Tar Spot

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	small tortoiseshell	Speckled Tar Spot
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.

Speckled Tar Spot

Habitat

Native to Europe and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and United States.

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.