small tortoiseshell vs Twin Swift

Aglais urticae compared with Borbo gemella

Key Differences

• small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened while Twin Swift is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	small tortoiseshell	Twin Swift
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)	Hesperiidae
Genus	Aglais	Borbo
Species	Aglais urticae	Borbo gemella

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Twin Swift

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	small tortoiseshell	Twin Swift
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.

Twin Swift

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

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.