small tortoiseshell vs Tar spot

Aglais urticae compared with Phyllachora maydis

Key Differences

• small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened while Tar spot is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	small tortoiseshell	Tar spot
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Sordariomycetes (Sordariomycetes)
Order	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Phyllachorales (Phyllachorales)
Family	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)	Phyllachoraceae
Genus	Aglais	Phyllachora
Species	Aglais urticae	Phyllachora maydis

Conservation Status

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Tar spot

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	small tortoiseshell	Tar spot
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.

Tar spot

Habitat

Native to North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Found in United States.

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.