small tortoiseshell vs Tidalmarsh flatsedge

Aglais urticae compared with Cyperus serotinus

Key Differences

• small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened while Tidalmarsh flatsedge is Extinct.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	small tortoiseshell	Tidalmarsh flatsedge
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)	Cyperaceae
Genus	Aglais	Cyperus
Species	Aglais urticae	Cyperus serotinus

Conservation Status

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Tidalmarsh flatsedge

EX — Extinct

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	small tortoiseshell	Tidalmarsh flatsedge
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.

Tidalmarsh flatsedge

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Bulgaria, Italy, Portugal, Taiwan, and 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.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇧🇬 Bulgaria 🇮🇹 Italy 🇵🇹 Portugal