List of butterflies of Great Britain

Hesperiidae – skippers

Subfamily Heteropterinae

Chequered skipper – Carterocephalus palaemon ‡

Subfamily Hesperiinae

Small skipper – Thymelicus sylvestris

Essex skipper – Thymelicus lineola

Lulworth skipper – Thymelicus acteon ‡

Silver-spotted skipper – Hesperia comma

Large skipper – Ochlodes sylvanus [venata; venatus]

Subfamily Pyrginae

Dingy skipper – Erynnis tages tages ‡

Grizzled skipper – Pyrgus malvae ‡

Papilionidae – swallowtails

Subfamily Papilioninae

Swallowtail – Papilio machaon

P. machaon britannicus (endemic subspecies) – confined to Norfolk Broads (formerly also in The Fens)

P. machaon gorganus – rare migrant and occasional breeder from Continental Europe to southern England and southern Wales

Pieridae – whites and yellows

Subfamily Dismorphiinae

Wood white – Leptidea sinapis sinapis ‡

Subfamily Coliadinae

Dark clouded yellow – Colias croceus

Common brimstone – Gonepteryx rhamni rhamni

Subfamily Pierinae

Large white – Pieris brassicae

Small white – Pieris [Artogeia] rapae

Green-veined white – Pieris [Artogeia] napi

P. napi sabellicae – throughout (except for area occupied by subspecies thomsoni)

P. napi thomsoni – east-central Scotland

Orange tip – Anthocharis cardamines britannica

Lycaenidae – hairstreaks, coppers and blues

Subfamily Theclinae

Green hairstreak – Callophrys rubi

Brown hairstreak – Thecla betulae ‡

Purple hairstreak – Neozephyrus [Quercusia] quercus

White-letter hairstreak – Satyrium [Strymonidia] w-album ‡

Black hairstreak – Satyrium [Strymonidia] pruni

Subfamily Lycaena

Small copper – Lycaena phlaeas eleus

Subfamily Polyommatinae

Small blue – Cupido minimus ‡

Silver-studded blue – Plebeius [Plebejus] argus ‡

P. argus argus – south-west and south England, East Anglia coast, and north Wales and north-east Wales borders

P. argus cretaceus – formerly on chalk and limestone downland of south and south-east coasts, now restricted to Portland Bill

P. argus caernensis – Great Ormes Head (north Wales)

P. argus masseyi – extinct (formerly north-west England)

Brown argus – Plebeius [Aricia] agestis

Northern brown argus – Plebeius [Aricia] artaxerxes ‡

P. artaxerxes salmacis (Castle Eden argus) – England from north Lancashire north

– evidence of hybridization with P. agestis across northern England and Wales

P. artaxerxes artaxerxes – Scotland

Common blue – Polyommatus icarus icarus

Chalkhill blue – Polyommatus [Lysandra] coridon

Adonis blue – Polyommatus [Lysandra] bellargus

Holly blue – Celastrina argiolus britanna

Large blue – Glaucopsyche [Maculinea] arion ‡

G. arion eutyphron (endemic subspecies) – extinct

G. arion arion – introduced to various sites in west England

Riodinidae – metalmarks

Duke of Burgundy – Hamearis lucina ‡

Nymphalidae – fritillaries, nymphalids and browns

Subfamily Heliconiinae

Small pearl-bordered fritillary – Boloria [Clossiana] selene ‡

B. selene selene – widespread in Wales, Scotland, southern and northern England

B. selene insularum – western Scotland and Inner Hebrides

Pearl-bordered fritillary – Boloria [Clossiana] euphrosyne ‡

High brown fritillary – Argynnis [Fabriciana] adippe ‡

Dark green fritillary – Argynnis [Mesoacidalia] aglaja

A. aglaja aglaja – patchy distribution throughout, except Scotland

A. aglaja scotica – Scotland

Silver-washed fritillary – Argynnis paphia

Subfamily Limenitidinae

White admiral – Limenitis camilla ‡

Subfamily Apaturinae

Purple emperor – Apatura iris

Subfamily Nymphalinae

Red admiral – Vanessa atalanta

Painted lady – Vanessa (Cynthia) cardui

Small tortoiseshell – Aglais urticae

Peacock – Aglais [Inachis] io

Comma – Polygonia c-album

Marsh fritillary – Euphydryas [Eurodryas] aurinia ‡

Glanville fritillary – Melitaea cinxia ‡

Heath fritillary – Melitaea [Mellicta] athalia ‡

Subfamily Satyrinae

Speckled wood – Pararge aegeria

P. aegeria tircis – throughout southern third of Great Britain, Scottish Highlands; expanding range north and east in England and Scotland; has colonized Isle of Man

P. aegeria oblita – western Scotland and Inner Hebrides

P. aegeria insula – Isles of Scilly

Wall – Lasiommata megera ‡*

Small mountain ringlet – Erebia epiphron ‡

E. epiphron mnemon – Cumbria

E. epiphron scotica – central Scotland

Scotch argus – Erebia aethiops

E. aethiops aethiops – Cumbria

E. aethiops caledonia – Scotland

Marbled white – Melanargia galathea serena

Grayling – Hipparchia semele ‡

H. semele semele – much of English coast, inland in parts of south and East Anglia

H. semele scota – eastern Scotland (near coast)

H. semele thyone – Wales

H. semele atlantica – Hebrides

Gatekeeper – Pyronia tithonus britanniae

Meadow brown – Maniola jurtina

M. jurtina insularis – throughout (except for areas occupied by other subspecies)

M. jurtina cassiteridum – Isles of Scilly

M. jurtina splendida – western Scotland, including Hebrides

Ringlet – Aphantopus hyperantus

Small heath – Coenonympha pamphilus ‡*

C. pamphilus pamphilus – throughout, except far north and Hebrides

C. pamphilus rhoumensis – Hebrides

Large heath – Coenonympha tullia ‡

C. tullia davus – patchy distribution throughout northern and central England

C. tullia polydama – central-west and north Wales, northern England and southern Scotland

C. tullia scotica – rest of Scotland

Vagrant, extinct and exotic species

Extinct

Arran brown – Erebia ligea

Black-veined white – Aporia crataegi

Mazarine blue – Polyommatus [Cyaniris] semiargus (now vagrant only)

Large copper – Lycaena dispar (Great Britain subspecies extinct; continental subspecies introduced now also extinct)

Large tortoiseshell – Nymphalis polychloros (now vagrant only, although sightings in southern England since 2007 suggest recolonisation may be occurring)

Almond-eyed ringlet – Erebia alberganus

Vagrants

Pale clouded yellow – Colias hyale

Berger's clouded yellow – Colias sareptensis

Bath white – Pontia daplidice

Dappled white – Euchloe simplonia

Long-tailed blue – Lampides boeticus

Lang's short-tailed blue – Leptotes pirithous

Scarce swallowtail – Iphiclides podalirius

Short-tailed blue – Cupido [Everes] argiades

Geranium bronze – Cacyreus marshalli (imported on geraniums)

Scarce or yellow-legged tortoiseshell – Nymphalis xanthomelas

Camberwell beauty – Nymphalis antiopa

Map – Araschnia levana (formerly introduced and bred)

Queen of Spain fritillary – Issoria lathonia

Monarch – Danaus plexippus

Plain tiger – Danaus chrysippus (single record from Cambridgeshire, April 2011, coincident with influx of vagrant Odonata)

Apollo – Parnassius apollo

American painted lady – Vanessa virginiensis

Exotics

Species included in the Great Britain Lepidoptera numbering system, but believed never to have occurred naturally in a wild state

Fiery skipper – Hylephila phyleus

Mallow skipper – Carcharodus alceae

Oberthür's grizzled skipper – Pyrgus armoricanus

Shy saliana – Saliana longirostris

Small Apollo – Parnassius phoebus

Spanish festoon – Zerynthia rumina

Southern festoon – Zerynthia polyxena

Tiger swallowtail – Papilio glaucus

Moorland clouded yellow – Colias palaeno

Cleopatra – Gonepteryx cleopatra

Slate flash – Rapala schistacea

Scarce copper – Lycaena virgaureae

Sooty copper – Lycaena tityrus

Purple-shot copper – Lycaena alciphron

Purple-edged copper – Lycaena hippothoe

Turquoise blue – Polyommatus dorylas

Green-underside blue – Glaucopsyche alexis

Julia – Dryas julia

Albin's Hampstead eye (meadow argus) – Junonia villida

Blue pansy – Junonia oenone

Zebra – Colobura dirce

Small brown shoemaker (orange mapwing) – Hypanartia lethe

Indian red admiral – Vanessa indica

Weaver's fritillary – Boloria dia

Aphrodite fritillary – Argynnis aphrodite

Niobe fritillary – Argynnis niobe

Cardinal or Mediterranean fritillary – Argynnis pandora

Great spangled fritillary – Argynnis cybele

Spotted fritillary – Melitaea didyma

Large wall – Lasiommata maera

Woodland grayling – Hipparchia fagi

Hermit – Chazara briseis

False grayling – Arethusana arethusa

Cassia's owl-butterfly – Opsiphanes cassiae

Illioneus giant owl – Caligo illioneus