small tortoiseshell vs Transparent Burnet

Aglais urticae compared with Zygaena purpuralis

Key Differences

• small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened while Transparent Burnet is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	small tortoiseshell	Transparent Burnet
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)	Zygaenidae
Genus	Aglais	Zygaena
Species	Aglais urticae	Zygaena purpuralis

Evolutionary Relationship

small tortoiseshell and Transparent Burnet share a common ancestor at the Order level: Lepidoptera. (Butterflies & Moths)

Conservation Status

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Transparent Burnet

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	small tortoiseshell	Transparent Burnet
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.

Transparent Burnet

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, and Switzerland.

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 4 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇨🇭 Switzerland