Branched Moonwort vs small tortoiseshell

Botrychium matricariifolium compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Branched Moonwort is Extinct while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Branched Moonwort	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom	Plantae (растения)	Animalia (животные)
Phylum	Tracheophyta	Arthropoda (членистоногие)
Class	Polypodiopsida (папоротниковые)	Insecta (насекомые)
Order	Ophioglossales (ужовниковые)	Lepidoptera (чешуекрылые)
Family	Ophioglossaceae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Botrychium	Aglais
Species	Botrychium matricariifolium	Aglais urticae

Conservation Status

Branched Moonwort

EX — Extinct

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Branched Moonwort	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Branched Moonwort

Habitat

Typically found in moist, shaded forest floors and tropical canopies.

Range

Found across Europe (5 countries) and North America (Canada, United States).

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.

Branched Moonwort

The Branched moonwort (Botrychium matricariifolium) is a species in the genus Botrychium. It is currently classified as Extinct on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in moist, shaded forest floors and tropical canopies.

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:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇫🇷 France 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden