small tortoiseshell vs Spurge Rust

Aglais urticae compared with Melampsora euphorbiae

Key Differences

• small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened while Spurge Rust is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	small tortoiseshell	Spurge Rust
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Pucciniomycetes (Pucciniomycetes)
Order	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Pucciniales (Pucciniales)
Family	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)	Melampsoraceae
Genus	Aglais	Melampsora
Species	Aglais urticae	Melampsora euphorbiae

Conservation Status

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Spurge Rust

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	small tortoiseshell	Spurge Rust
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.

Spurge Rust

Habitat

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

Range

Found across Europe (6 countries) and South America (Brazil).

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 6 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇸🇮 Slovenia 🇸🇪 Sweden