small tortoiseshell vs undulate ray

Aglais urticae compared with Raja undulata

Key Differences

• small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened while undulate ray is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	small tortoiseshell	undulate ray
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Elasmobranchii
Order	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Rajiformes (Rajiformes)
Family	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)	Rajidae
Genus	Aglais	Raja
Species	Aglais urticae	Raja undulata

Evolutionary Relationship

small tortoiseshell and undulate ray share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

undulate ray

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	small tortoiseshell	undulate ray
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.

undulate ray

Habitat

Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Found in Belgium. Currently classified as 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 1 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium