dark dagger vs small tortoiseshell

Acronicta tridens compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• dark dagger is Vulnerable while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	dark dagger	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (животные)	Animalia (животные)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (членистоногие)	Arthropoda (членистоногие)
Class same	Insecta (насекомые)	Insecta (насекомые)
Order same	Lepidoptera (чешуекрылые)	Lepidoptera (чешуекрылые)
Family	Noctuidae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Acronicta	Aglais
Species	Acronicta tridens	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

dark dagger and small tortoiseshell share a common ancestor at the Order level: Lepidoptera. (чешуекрылые)

Conservation Status

dark dagger

VU — Vulnerable

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	dark dagger	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

dark dagger

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its 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.

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 4 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden