Pale mottled willow moth vs small tortoiseshell

Caradrina clavipalpis compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Pale mottled willow moth is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Pale mottled willow moth	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (สัตว์)	Animalia (สัตว์)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (สัตว์ขาปล้อง)	Arthropoda (สัตว์ขาปล้อง)
Class same	Insecta (แมลง)	Insecta (แมลง)
Order same	Lepidoptera (ผีเสื้อ)	Lepidoptera (ผีเสื้อ)
Family	Noctuidae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Caradrina	Aglais
Species	Caradrina clavipalpis	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

Pale mottled willow moth and small tortoiseshell share a common ancestor at the Order level: Lepidoptera. (ผีเสื้อ)

Conservation Status

Pale mottled willow moth

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Pale mottled willow moth	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Pale mottled willow moth

Habitat

Inhabits tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests within the Afrotropic biogeographic realm.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Algeria, Cabo Verde), Europe (4 countries), and North America (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.

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