small tortoiseshell

noun

The colourful butterfly Aglais urticae, of the family Nymphalidae.

Meanings

nounsmall tortoiseshell (plural small tortoiseshells)

plural small tortoiseshells

  1. The colourful butterfly Aglais urticae, of the family Nymphalidae.
    1 more example

    Researchers found that 15 of 17 species which commonly live on farmland – including the small tortoiseshell, small skipper and wall butterfly – show declines associated with increasing neonic use. […] Other common farmland butterflies to have suffered steep declines include the small tortoiseshell (64%), the wall brown (37%) and the large skipper (35%).

    2015 November 24, Patrick Barkham, “Pesticide may be reason butterfly numbers are falling in UK, says study”, in The Guardian

Translations

Catalan papallona de les ortigues
  • papallona de les ortiguesbutterfly
Czech babočka kopřivová
  • babočka kopřivovábutterfly
Dutch kleine vos
  • kleine vosbutterfly
Finnish nokkosperhonen
  • nokkosperhonenbutterfly
German Kleiner Fuchs
  • Kleiner Fuchsbutterfly
Irish ruán beag
  • ruán beagbutterfly
Japanese 小緋縅
  • 小緋縅 (kohiodoshi)butterfly
Polish rusałka pokrzywnik
  • rusałka pokrzywnikbutterfly
Russian крапи́вница обыкнове́нная, крапи́вница
  • крапи́вница обыкнове́нная (krapívnica obyknovénnaja)butterfly
  • крапи́вница (krapívnica)butterfly
Slovak babôčka pŕhľavová
  • babôčka pŕhľavovábutterfly
Swedish nässelfjäril
  • nässelfjärilbutterfly
Turkish küçük iparhan
  • küçük iparhanbutterfly
Ukrainian сонцевик кропив'яний
  • сонцевик кропив'яний (soncevyk kropyvʺjanyj)butterfly
Welsh trilliw bach
  • trilliw bachbutterfly
Cite this entry
APA

small tortoiseshell. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/small%20tortoiseshell

MLA

“small tortoiseshell.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/small%20tortoiseshell. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “small tortoiseshell,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/small%20tortoiseshell.

Source: small tortoiseshell on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.