flax dodder vs small tortoiseshell

Cuscuta epilinum compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• flax dodder is Extinct while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	flax dodder	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom	Plantae (पादप)	Animalia (प्राणी)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Arthropoda (सन्धिपाद)
Class	Magnoliopsida (मैग्नोलियोप्सीडा)	Insecta (कीट)
Order	Solanales (Solanales)	Lepidoptera (शल्कपंखी गण)
Family	Convolvulaceae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Cuscuta	Aglais
Species	Cuscuta epilinum	Aglais urticae

Conservation Status

flax dodder

EX — Extinct

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	flax dodder	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

flax dodder

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Congo (DRC)), Asia (5 countries), Europe (20 countries), North America (Canada, United States), and South America (Brazil).

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.

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 20 countries:

🇧🇾 Belarus 🇧🇪 Belgium 🇧🇬 Bulgaria 🇭🇷 Croatia 🇨🇿 Czech Republic 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇪🇪 Estonia 🇫🇷 France 🇩🇪 Germany 🇮🇪 Ireland 🇮🇹 Italy 🇳🇱 Netherlands 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇱 Poland 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇸🇰 Slovakia 🇪🇸 Spain 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇺🇦 Ukraine 🇬🇧 United Kingdom