small tortoiseshell vs Splendid Waxcap

Aglais urticae compared with Hygrocybe splendidissima

Key Differences

• small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened while Splendid Waxcap is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	small tortoiseshell	Splendid Waxcap
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)
Order	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)
Family	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)	Hygrophoraceae
Genus	Aglais	Hygrocybe
Species	Aglais urticae	Hygrocybe splendidissima

Conservation Status

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Splendid Waxcap

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	small tortoiseshell	Splendid Waxcap
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.

Splendid Waxcap

Habitat

Typically found in forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Currently classified as Vulnerable 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 3 countries:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden