Common Bithynia vs small tortoiseshell

Bithynia tentaculata compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Common Bithynia is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Bithynia	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (动物界)	Animalia (动物界)
Phylum	Mollusca (软体动物门)	Arthropoda (节肢动物门)
Class	Gastropoda (腹足纲)	Insecta (昆蟲綱)
Order	Littorinimorpha (滨螺形目)	Lepidoptera (鱗翅目)
Family	Bithyniidae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Bithynia	Aglais
Species	Bithynia tentaculata	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

Common Bithynia and small tortoiseshell share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (动物界)

Conservation Status

Common Bithynia

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Bithynia	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common Bithynia

Habitat

Typically found in terrestrial and aquatic habitats including forests and freshwater.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and 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.

Common Bithynia

The common bithynia (<em>Bithynia tentaculata</em>) is a freshwater gastropod snail belonging to the family Bithyniidae. It is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List and has been recorded across terrestrial and aquatic habitats in Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and the United States. <em>Bithynia tentaculata</em> typically inhabits slow-moving or still freshwater environments such as lakes, ponds, canals, and rivers, often on muddy or sandy substrates where organic material is abundant. The species has a distinctive operculum that seals the shell opening, providing protection against desiccation and predators. It typically feeds by grazing on algae, detritus, and biofilms on submerged surfaces. The common bithynia serves as an intermediate host for several trematode parasites, making it ecologically significant in freshwater food webs and parasite life cycles. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.

small tortoiseshell

小玳瑁蛱蝶(Aglais urticae)在IUCN红色名录中被列为近危(NT)物种。接近符合受威胁种标准，如无保护措施，种群可能变得脆弱。

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

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