small tortoiseshell vs Whiskered brome

Aglais urticae compared with Bromus grossus

Key Differences

• small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened while Whiskered brome is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	small tortoiseshell	Whiskered brome
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)	Poaceae (Grass Family)
Genus	Aglais	Bromus
Species	Aglais urticae	Bromus grossus

Conservation Status

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Whiskered brome

CR — Critically Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	small tortoiseshell	Whiskered brome
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.

Whiskered brome

Habitat

Inhabits temperate broadleaf and mixed forests and temperate coniferous forests within the Palearctic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Found across Europe (5 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 5 countries:

🇦🇹 Austria 🇧🇪 Belgium 🇨🇿 Czech Republic 🇩🇪 Germany 🇵🇱 Poland