small tortoiseshell vs Swan-necked Apple-moss

Aglais urticae compared with Philonotis cernua

Key Differences

small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened while Swan-necked Apple-moss is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	small tortoiseshell	Swan-necked Apple-moss
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Bryophyta
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Bryopsida (Bryopsida)
Order	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Bartramiales (Bartramiales)
Family	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)	Bartramiaceae
Genus	Aglais	Philonotis
Species	Aglais urticae	Philonotis cernua

Conservation Status

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Swan-necked Apple-moss

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	small tortoiseshell	Swan-necked Apple-moss
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.

Swan-necked Apple-moss

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Brazil, Colombia, Norway, and Taiwan.

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.