small tortoiseshell vs St. James' shell

Aglais urticae compared with Pecten maximus

Key Differences

small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened while St. James' shell is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	small tortoiseshell	St. James' shell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Mollusca (Mollusks)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Bivalvia (Bivalvia)
Order	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Pectinida (Pectinida)
Family	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)	Pectinidae
Genus	Aglais	Pecten
Species	Aglais urticae	Pecten maximus

Evolutionary Relationship

small tortoiseshell and St. James' shell share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

View Kingdom: Animalia

Conservation Status

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

St. James' shell

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	small tortoiseshell	St. James' shell
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.

St. James' shell

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (China), Europe (8 countries), and South America (Chile).

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.

St. James' shell

St. James' shell (Pecten maximus) is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List. Widespread and abundant across its range, with stable populations and no immediate conservation concerns.