Butterfly Species Listing

There are around 501 species of butterfly found in Europe, including the regions of European Russia and European Turkey. Butterflies select a variety of habitats in which to feed and reproduce, including meadows, grassland, forests and green urban areas. The greatest diversity is found in the three mountain regions of the southern peninsulas, as well as in the islands and boreal areas, which have a high number of endemic species.

The table below lists all the butterfly species found in Europe:

The listing is based on the most recent update: Wiemers, M. et al. (2018). An updated checklist of the European Butterflies (Lepidoptera, Papilionoidea). ZooKeys, 811: 9-45. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.811.28712.

The larval foodplant listing shown on the individual species pages comes from: Clarke, H. E. (2024). A checklist of European butterfly larval foodplants. Ecology and Evolution, 14, e10834. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.10834. Note that this work does not show preferred foodplants, which can vary from region to region.

The English names of plants are taken from: Stace, C. (2019). New Flora of the British Isles, 4th edition.

Species accounts are taken from: Settele et al. (2008). Climatic Risk Atlas of European Butterflies. BioRisk 1: 1-712. https://doi.org/10.3897/biorisk.1. Note that some range restricted species are not covered.

#	Family	Subfamily	Genus	Species	English Name
95	Pieridae	Pierinae	Pieris	brassicae	Large White ^V
98	Pieridae	Pierinae	Pieris	rapae	Small White ^V
297	Nymphalidae	Nymphalinae	Vanessa	cardui	Painted Lady ^M
299	Nymphalidae	Nymphalinae	Vanessa	atalanta	Red Admiral ^M
300	Nymphalidae	Nymphalinae	Aglais	io	Peacock ^V
301	Nymphalidae	Nymphalinae	Aglais	urticae	Small Tortoiseshell ^V
333	Nymphalidae	Danainae	Danaus	plexippus	Monarch ^V

Butterfly Species Listing

Key to colours of English names