List of butterflies of Ireland

This is a list of Irish butterflies, past and present. Details on specific species are relevant to the Irish populations and some details may not be consistent with the species in other parts of its range.

EX Extinct No reasonable doubt that the last individual has died.
EW Extinct in the wild Known only to survive in captivity or as a naturalized populations well outside its previous range.
CR Critically endangered The species is in imminent risk of extinction in the wild.
EN Endangered The species is facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.
VU Vulnerable The species is facing a high risk of extinction in the wild.
NT Near threatened The species does not meet any of the criteria that would categorise it as risking extinction but it is likely to do so in the future.
LC Least concern There are no current identifiable risks to the species.
DD Data deficient There is inadequate information to make an assessment of the risks to this species.

Family Hesperiidae (skippers)

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Subfamily Hesperiinae (grass skippers)

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Subfamily Pyrginae (spread-winged skippers)

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  • Dingy skipperErynnis tages NT Mainly Midlands and West. The subspecies baynesi Huggins, 1956 is recorded from the Burren region of Co. Clare and Galway. The populations elsewhere in Ireland are presumably the type subspecies.

Family Pieridae (whites)

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  • Wood whiteLeptidea sinapis NT Confined to the Burren area of Co. Clare and Co. Galway (here sympatric with Leptidea juvernica)
  • Cryptic wood white - Leptidea juvernica NE stat. nov.[1][2][3] All regions of Ireland. Not known in Britain.
 
Wood white

Subfamily Pierinae

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  • Large whitePieris brassicae LC
  • Small whitePieris rapae LC
  • Green-veined whitePieris napi LC The subspecies britannica (Muller & Kautz, 1939) is only found in Ireland. The British subspecies is sabellicae (Stephens, 1827)
  • Orange tipAnthocharis cardamines LC The Irish subspecies is hibernica (Williams, 1916)

Family Lycaenidae (gossamer-winged butterflies)

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Green hairstreak

Subfamily Theclinae

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  • Green hairstreakCallophrys rubi LC Scattered distribution.
  • Brown hairstreakThecla betulae LC Restricted to Burren and regions north to Lough Mask, Co. Mayo where recent spread seems to be happening.[5]
  • Purple hairstreakNeozephyrus quercus LC Restricted to a few woodland sites.
 
Small copper
  • Small copperLycaena phlaeas LC The Irish subspecies is hibernica Goodson, 1948
  • Small blueCupido minimus EN Few regions. Restricted to coastal dunes, limestone grasslands and quarries.
  • Common bluePolyommatus icarus LC The Irish subspecies is mariscolore (Kane, 1893)
  • Holly blueCelastrina argiolus LC Found across most of Ireland having spread significantly north and west.

Family Nymphalidae (brush-footed butterflies)

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  • Red admiralVanessa atalanta LC resident reinforced by migrant populations.
  • Painted ladyVanessa cardui LC Migrant.
  • PeacockAglais io LC
  • Small tortoiseshellAglais urticae LC
  • CommaPolygonia c-album NE recent colonist and now found across most of island having spread from south-east.[6]
 
Red admiral peeping from behind a Hebe × franciscana

Subfamily Heliconiinae (longwings)

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Argynnis paphia mating

Subfamily Satyrinae (browns)

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  • Speckled woodPararge aegeria LC
  • WallLasiommata megera EN
  • GraylingHipparchia semele NT Coastal and limestone districts. The Irish subspecies are clarensis de Lattin, 1952 (County Clare) and hibernica Howarth, 1971
  • GatekeeperPyronia tithonus NT Restricted to South and South-East coasts.
  • Meadow brownManiola jurtina LC The Irish subspecies is iernes Graves, 1930
  • RingletAphantopus hyperantus LC
  • Small heathCoenonympha pamphilus NT Scattered throughout Ireland.Prefers drier grassland on well-drained soils.
  • Large heathCoenonympha tullia VU Restricted to bogs and absent from most of south and east where habitats largely non-existent.

Vagrant, adventive, extinct and intercepts and exotic species

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Aglais urticae – small tortoiseshell

Extinct

Vagrants

 
Queen of Spain fritillary

See also

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References

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  • Emmet, A.M.; J. Heath; et al. (Ed.), 1990. "The Butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland". The Moths and Butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland. Vol. 7 Part 1 (Hesperiidae to Nymphalidae). Harley Books, Colchester, UK.
  • K. G. M. Bond; R. Nash & J. P. O'Connor, An Annotated Checklist of the Irish Butterflies and Moths (Lepidoptera). The Irish Biogeographical Society in association with the National Museum of Ireland, Dublin, 2006. ISBN 0-9511514-9-5
  • Harding, J. & Jacob, M. (2013). "Addition of Small Skipper butterfly (Thymelicus sylvestris) to the Irish List and notes on the Essex Skipper (Thymelicus lineola) (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae)". Irish Naturalists' Journal. 32: 142-144.
  • Mazel, R. (2001). "Leptidea sinapis L., 1758 - L. reali Reissinger, 1989, le point de la situation (Lepidoptera: Pieridae, Dismorphiinae)". Linneana Belgica. 18: 199-202.
  • Nash, D., T. Boyd & D Hardiman (2012). Ireland's Butterflies: A Review. The Dublin Naturalists' Field Club, Dublin. ISBN 978-0-9530037-2-3
  • Wilson, C. J.; Goodwin, J. & Bond, K. 2007. "New Irish record of the small skipper butterfly Thymelicus sylvestris (Poda) (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae)". Irish Naturalists' Journal. 28 (9): 385-386. (Erroneous and later corrected by the authors. Refers to Essex skipper Thymelicus lineola.)

Footnotes

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  1. ^ Barkham, Patrick (13 July 2011). "New species of butterfly flying in Northern Ireland". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 October 2011.
  2. ^ Dincă, Vlad; Lukhtanov, Vladimir A.; Talavera, Gerard; Vila, Roger (30 April 2011). "Unexpected layers of cryptic diversity in wood white Leptidea butterflies" (PDF). Nature Communications. 2: 324. doi:10.1038/NCOMMS1329. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 12 October 2011.
  3. ^ Nelson, B.; Hughes, M. & Bond, K. (2011). "The distribution of Leptidea sinapis (Linnaeus, 1758) and L. reali Reissinger, 1989 (Lepidoptera: Pieridae) in Ireland". Entomologist's Gazette. 62: 213–233.
  4. ^ Walsh, F. & Walsh, M. (2014). "The Clouded Yellow butterfly (Colias croceus Fourcroy) overwintering at the Raven, Co. Wexford". Irish Naturalists' Journal, 33: 89-92.
  5. ^ Gammell, M., & Carlin, C. (2021). "First records of the Brown Hairstreak Butterfly (Thecla betulae) (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae) from Co. Mayo, Ireland". Irish Naturalists' Journal, 38: 55-56.
  6. ^ Harding, J., & Power, B. (2016). "The Comma (Polygonia c-album (L.)) (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) breeding in Ireland with notes on larval development". Irish Naturalists' Journal. 35 (1): 63–65.
  7. ^ Regan, E.C. & Meagher, O. (2011). "The distribution and habitat of the Pearl-bordered Fritillary butterfly Boloria euphrosyne (Linnaeus) (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) in Ireland". Bulletin of the Irish Biogeographical Society. 35: 150-161.
  8. ^ Peter Eeles The Irish Mountain Ringlet dispar online
  9. ^ "Berger's Clouded Yellow". Butterfly Conservation. Archived from the original on 30 March 2012. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
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