small tortoiseshell vs stiff sand grass

Aglais urticae compared with Catapodium marinum

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	small tortoiseshell	stiff sand grass
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Liliopsida (Monocots)
Order	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Poales (Grasses)
Family	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)	Poaceae (Grass Family)
Genus	Aglais	Catapodium
Species	Aglais urticae	Catapodium marinum

Conservation Status

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

stiff sand grass

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	small tortoiseshell	stiff sand grass
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.

stiff sand grass

Habitat

Typically found in grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated landscapes.

Range

Distributed across Australia, Belgium, and Portugal. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

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 2 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇵🇹 Portugal