The Nymphalidae are the largest family of butterflies, with more than 6,000 species distributed throughout most of the world. Belonging to the superfamily Papilionoidea, they are usually medium-sized to large butterflies. Most species have a reduced pair of forelegs and many hold their colourful wings flat when resting. They are also called brush-footed butterflies or four-footed butterflies, because they are known to stand on only four legs while the other two are curled up; in some species, these forelegs have a brush-like set of hairs, which gives this family its other common name. Many species are brightly coloured and include popular species such as the emperors, monarch butterfly, admirals, tortoiseshells, and fritillaries. However, the under wings are, in contrast, often dull and in some species look remarkably like dead leaves, or are much paler, producing a cryptic effect that helps the butterflies blend into their surroundings.
The superfamily Papilionoidea contains all the butterflies except for the moth-like Hedyloidea.
The Heliconiinae, commonly called heliconians or longwings, are a subfamily of the brush-footed butterflies. They can be divided into 45–50 genera and were sometimes treated as a separate family Heliconiidae within the Papilionoidea. The colouration is predominantly reddish and black, and though of varying wing shape, the forewings are always elongated tipwards, hence the common name.
Argynnini is a tribe of butterflies in the subfamily Heliconiinae, containing some of the fritillaries. This group has roughly 100 species worldwide and roughly 30 in North America.
Vindula, commonly called cruisers, is a genus of butterflies of the subfamily Heliconiinae in the family Nymphalidae found in southeast Asia and Australia. These butterflies are dimorphic.
Dione is a genus of butterflies of the subfamily Heliconiinae in the family Nymphalidae found from southern United States to South America.
Vagrantini is a tribe of butterflies in the subfamily Heliconiinae found from east Africa over the Indian subcontinent to eastern Asia and Australia.
Phalanta eurytis, the forest leopard, forest leopard fritillary, or African leopard fritillary, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in tropical Africa, Ethiopia, and Sudan.
Cethosia myrina, the violet lacewing or brown accented butterfly, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found on the Indonesian islands of Sulawesi and Butung.
Lachnoptera anticlia, the western blotched leopard, is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in Senegal, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, the Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, southern Sudan, Uganda, western Kenya, north-western Tanzania and north-western Zambia. The habitat consists of forests and forest margins.
Phalanta madagascariensis is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found on Madagascar. The habitat consists of forests.
Phalanta philiberti is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found on the Seychelles, where it has not been collected since 1953.
Acraea eltringhamiana is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in Zambia and the south-eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Acraea manca is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in Tanzania.
Acraea pudorina, the Kenyan fiery acraea, is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in central and southern Kenya and Tanzania.
Acraea utengulensis, the Tanzanian fiery acraea, is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in northern and central Tanzania and Zambia.
Acraea necoda is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found on the central and northern plateau in Ethiopia.
Heliconius hermathena, the Hermathena longwing, is a species of butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is endemic to white sand areas of the Amazon basin. Heliconius hermathena is a sand forest nymphalid butterfly and they are typically lowland tropical forest organisms although a handful subspecies can be found in southeastern Brazil and part of the dry forests of Peru.
Algia is a genus of butterflies of the subfamily Heliconiinae in the family Nymphalidae found in southeast Asia. The genus ranges from Burma to New Guinea.
