Australia has more than 400 species of butterfly , the majority of which are continental species, and more than a dozen endemic species from remote islands administered by various Australian territorial governments. The largest butterflies in the world are endemic to the Australasian realm. They are the birdwings—Ornithoptera and other genera—of the tribe Troidini of the swallowtail butterfly family, Papilionidae. [1]
Family: Papilionidae (swallowtails) — 18+2 species [*2 non-continental species]
family: Pieridae (whites and yellows) — 35+2+1 species [†1 introduced species]
family: Riodinidae (metalmarks) — 1 species
family: Lycaenidae (gossamer-winged blues and coppers) — 142+7 species
family: Nymphalidae (brush– or four-footed) — 81+6 species
family: Hesperiidae (skippers) [170] — 121+1 species
Australia has 8,222 islands within her maritime borders. This is small in comparison with her northern neighbour Indonesia, with about 18,300 islands (high geological activity is constantly adding and removing Indonesian islands). The British Isles include more than 6,000 islands over a much smaller area. The Greek islands include about as many islands depending on the minimum size to take into account, but in an even smaller area.
Collection | Specimens | Amateur | Percent |
ANIC, Canberra | 115,000 | 92,000 | 80% |
Australian Museum, Sydney | 65,000 | 63,900 | 98% |
Museum of Victoria | 24,000 | 18,000 | 75% |
Queensland Museum | 9,000 | 6,300 | 70% |
South Australian Museum | 36,000 | 19,800 | 55% |
Total | 249,000 | 200,000 | 80% |
Papilio is a genus in the swallowtail butterfly family, Papilionidae, as well as the only representative of the tribe Papilionini. The word papilio is Latin for butterfly.
Graphium is a genus of mostly tropical swallowtail butterflies commonly known as swordtails, kite swallowtails, or ladies. Native to Eurasia, Africa, and Oceania, the genus is represented by over 100 species. Their colouration is as variable as the habitats they frequent; from rainforest to savannah. Some possess tails which may be long and swordlike, while others lack any hindwing extensions. Graphium species are often sighted at mud puddles.
Danaus, commonly called tigers, milkweeds, monarchs, wanderers, and queens, is a genus of butterflies in the tiger butterfly tribe. They are found worldwide, including North America, South America, Africa, Asia, Indonesia and Australia. For other tigers see the genus, Parantica.
Hypochrysops is a genus of butterflies in the family Lycaenidae first described by Cajetan Felder and Rudolf Felder in 1860. This particular genus is exclusive to the Australian area with only a few species straying into Papua New Guinea.