small tortoiseshell vs winter moth

Aglais urticae compared with Operophtera brumata

Key Differences

• small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened while winter moth is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	small tortoiseshell	winter moth
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)	Geometridae
Genus	Aglais	Operophtera
Species	Aglais urticae	Operophtera brumata

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

winter moth

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	small tortoiseshell	winter moth
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.

winter moth

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found across Europe (6 countries) and North America (Canada, United States).

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.

winter moth

winter moth (Operophtera brumata) is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List. Widespread and abundant across its range, with stable populations and no immediate conservation concerns.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 6 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇮🇸 Iceland 🇮🇪 Ireland 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden