List of butterflies of India

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The following is a list of the butterflies of India .

Contents

India has extremely diverse terrain, climate and vegetation, which comprises extremes of heat cold, desert and jungle, of low-lying plains and the highest mountains, of dryness and dampness, islands and continental areas, widely varying flora, and sharply marked seasons. [1] India forms a large part of the Indomalayan biogeographical zone; many of the floral and faunal forms show Malayan affinities with some taxa being unique to the Indian region. In addition, India hosts three of the world's biodiversity hotspots: the Western Ghats, the Eastern Himalayas, and the hilly ranges bordering India and Myanmar, each having numerous endemic species. Accordingly, India's diverse and varied fauna include a rich variety of butterflies and moths. Brigadier William Harry Evans recorded approximately 1439 species of butterfly from British India, including Ceylon and Burma. [2] After 1947, the rise of several new nations led to a reduction of the area forming part of India proper, and the number of species has been noted to be an estimated 1318 species. [3]

Per-family lists

Butterfly diversity Ind bfly thumbstrip.jpg
Butterfly diversity

Six families of butterflies are represented in India. The quoted numbers of species per family are likely to evolve as a result of advances in taxonomy and in the collection of data regarding occurrence and distribution.

Per-state lists

India has 28 states and 8 union territories. The list of butterflies for each state can be found using the index below:

States

Union territories:

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Papilio slateri</i> Species of butterfly

Papilio (Chilasa) slateri, the blue striped mime, is a swallowtail butterfly found across south and south-east Asia. The butterfly belongs to the mime subgenus, Chilasa, of the genus Papilio, the black-bodied swallowtails. The nominate subspecies is found in India and is also called the brown mime. It is a good example of mimicry among Indian butterflies.

<i>Atrophaneura aidoneus</i> Species of butterfly

Atrophaneura aidoneus, the lesser batwing, is an Asian species of butterfly that belongs to the batwings group of Atrophaneura, comprising tailless black swallowtail butterflies.

<i>Taxila haquinus</i> Species of butterfly

Taxila haquinus, the harlequin or orange harlequin, is a small but striking butterfly from the family Riodinidae. It is found from India east to Palawan and south to Java. It is the only species in the genus Taxila.

<i>Euploea algea</i> Species of butterfly

Euploea algea, the long branded blue crow, is a butterfly found in India and Southeast Asia that belongs to the crows and tigers, that is, the Danaid group of the brush-footed butterflies family.

<i>Libythea narina</i> Species of butterfly

Libythea narina, the whitespotted beak, is a butterfly found in India that belongs to the Libytheinae group of the brush-footed butterflies family.

<i>Charaxes solon</i> Species of butterfly

Charaxes solon, the black rajah, is a butterfly species found in tropical Asia. It belongs to the Charaxinae in the brush-footed butterfly family (Nymphalidae).

<i>Polyura delphis</i> Species of butterfly

Polyura delphis, the jewelled nawab, is a butterfly found in India and Southeast Asia that belongs to the rajahs and nawabs group, that is, the Charaxinae subfamily of the brush-footed butterflies family. This butterfly has multiple red spots bordered by yellow bands on a metallic white background. The wingspan is about 2.75 inches (70 mm).

<i>Sinthusa chandrana</i> Species of butterfly

Sinthusa chandrana, the broad spark, is a small butterfly found in India that belongs to the lycaenids or blues family. The species was first described by Frederic Moore in 1882.

<i>Cheritrella</i> Monotypic butterfly genus in family Lycaenidae

Cheritrella truncipennis, the truncate imperial, is a small butterfly found in India, Burma and West China (Yunnan) that belongs to the lycaenids or blues family. Its genus, Cheritrella, was erected by Lionel de Nicéville and is monotypic.

<i>Tarucus venosus</i> Species of butterfly

Tarucus venosus, the Himalayan Pierrot or veined Pierrot, is a small butterfly found in India that belongs to the lycaenids or blues family. The species was first described by Frederic Moore in 1882.

<i>Tarucus callinara</i> Species of butterfly

Tarucus callinara, the spotted Pierrot, is a small butterfly found in India that belongs to the lycaenids or blues family found in India, Myanmar and Thailand.

Tarucus alteratus, the rusty Pierrot, is a small butterfly found in India that belongs to the lycaenids or blues family. The species was first described by Frederic Moore in 1882.

Tarucus balcanicus nigra, the black-spotted Pierrot, is a small butterfly found in India that belongs to the lycaenids or blues family.

<i>Ticherra</i> Monotypic butterfly genus in family Lycaenidae

Ticherra is a monotypic genus in the lycaenid or blues family. Its sole species is Ticherra acte, the blue imperial, a small butterfly found in India and South-East Asia.

<i>Lycaena pavana</i> Species of butterfly

Lycaena pavana, the white-bordered copper, is a small butterfly found in India that belongs to the lycaenids or blues family.

<i>Lycaena kasyapa</i> Species of butterfly

Lycaena kasyapa, the green copper, is a small butterfly found in India that belongs to the lycaenids or blues family. The species was first described by Frederic Moore in 1865.

<i>Heliophorus epicles</i> Species of butterfly

Heliophorus epicles, commonly known as the purple sapphire, is a species of lycaenid or blue butterfly found in Asia. The species was first described by Jean Baptiste Godart in 1823.

<i>Heliophorus brahma</i> Species of butterfly

Heliophorus brahma, the golden sapphire, is a small butterfly found in India that belongs to the lycaenids or blues family. The species was first described by Frederic Moore in 1857.

<i>Dacalana cotys</i> Species of butterfly

Dacalana cotys, the white-banded royal is a species of blue butterfly (Lycaenidae) found in South East Asia.

<i>Suasa</i> (butterfly) Monotypic butterfly genus in family Lycaenidae

Suasa is a monotypic butterfly genus in the family Lycaenidae erected by Lionel de Nicéville in 1890. Its only species, Suasa lisides, the red imperial, was first described by William Chapman Hewitson in 1863. It is a small butterfly found in India.

References

  1. Evans, W.H. (1932). The Identification of Indian Butterflies (2nd ed.). Mumbai, India: Bombay Natural History Society. p. 1.
  2. Evans, W.H. (1932). The Identification of Indian Butterflies (2nd ed.). Mumbai, India: Bombay Natural History Society. p. 23.
  3. Cotton, Adam & Fric, Zdenek & Jit Gupta, Inder & Van Gasse, Paul & Inayoshi, Yutaka & Sin Khoon, Khew & G Kirton, Laurence & Larsen, Torben & Markhasiov, Maxim & Majumdar, Mridula & Pequin, Olivier & Rieger, Jiri & Motoki, Saito & P Smith, Colin & K Varshney, Rajendra & Smetacek, Peter. (2015). A Synoptic Catalogue of the Butterflies of India. 10.13140/RG.2.1.3966.2164.

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