small tortoiseshell vs Square-spot Bell

Aglais urticae compared with Notocelia tetragonana

Key Differences

• small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened while Square-spot Bell is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	small tortoiseshell	Square-spot Bell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class same	Insecta (Insects)	Insecta (Insects)
Order same	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)	Tortricidae
Genus	Aglais	Notocelia
Species	Aglais urticae	Notocelia tetragonana

Evolutionary Relationship

small tortoiseshell and Square-spot Bell share a common ancestor at the Order level: Lepidoptera. (Butterflies & Moths)

Conservation Status

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Square-spot Bell

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	small tortoiseshell	Square-spot Bell
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.

Square-spot Bell

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, 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:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden