small tortoiseshell vs transparent fork moss

Aglais urticae compared with Dichodontium pellucidum

Key Differences

• small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened while transparent fork moss is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	small tortoiseshell	transparent fork moss
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Bryophyta
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Bryopsida (Bryopsida)
Order	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Dicranales (Dicranales)
Family	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)	Aongstroemiaceae
Genus	Aglais	Dichodontium
Species	Aglais urticae	Dichodontium pellucidum

Conservation Status

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

transparent fork moss

CR — Critically Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	small tortoiseshell	transparent fork 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.

transparent fork moss

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (6 countries), and North America (United States). Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

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 6 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇱🇺 Luxembourg 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇸🇪 Sweden