small tortoiseshell vs Three-tailed swallowtail

Aglais urticae compared with Papilio multicaudata

Key Differences

• small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened while Three-tailed swallowtail is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	small tortoiseshell	Three-tailed swallowtail
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)	Papilionidae
Genus	Aglais	Papilio
Species	Aglais urticae	Papilio multicaudata

Evolutionary Relationship

small tortoiseshell and Three-tailed swallowtail share a common ancestor at the Order level: Lepidoptera. (Butterflies & Moths)

Conservation Status

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Three-tailed swallowtail

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	small tortoiseshell	Three-tailed swallowtail
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.

Three-tailed swallowtail

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found in Canada.

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.