DISCOVERING THE

BUTTERFLY WORLD
Butterfly Identification: families and resources
Differences between butterflies and moths
In culture and taxonomy, two @P. Mazzei

main categories of Lepidoptera

are distinguished:

mariposa – polilla

farfalle – falene

butterfly – moth

schmetterling – motte

πεταλούδα – σκώρος
@P. Mazzei
@P. Mazzei @P. Mazzei

@P. Mazzei

@P. Mazzei
@P. Mazzei @P. Mazzei

@P. Mazzei

@P. Mazzei
Butterflies and Moths
Taxonomists have been searching for decades for an unique character that can distinguish
butterflies and moths.

The only character that has been

recognized was the shape of the
antennae, which only in butterflies
show a typically elongated shape
ending in a mace, while in moths
the antennae take many other
shapes, except for this one. For
this reason, Lepidoptera had been
divided into:

• Rhopalocera/Butterflies
(antennae with mace)

• Heterocera/Moths (antennae
with other shapes)

Hazlitt Alva Cuppy PH.D., Editor Beauties and Wonders of Land and Sea (Springfield,
OH: Mast, Crowell & Kirkpatrick, 1895)
 @P. Mazzei @P. Mazzei

@P. Mazzei

@P. Mazzei @D. Morel

@P. Mazzei

Those colorful individuals are moths

Butterflies and Moths

@C. Sevilleja

@A. Vliegenthart
@A. Vliegenthart
The great majority of moths
belongs to the microlepidoptera
group

@A. Vliegenthart @A. Vliegenthart @A. Vliegenthart

 Butterflies and Moths
• Butterflies: slender filamentous antennae which are club-shaped at the end. Wings spread
in resting posture or folded about their backs

• Moths: comb-like or feathery antennae and triangular shape wings in resting posture

@P. Mazzei @P. Mazzei

Butterfly Families
Hesperidae To start with Butterfly identification:
It is important to distinguish the
different families

Rhopalocera Riodinidae
Every family will be explained with

Papilionidae their important characteristics and

most common species

Pieridae

Lycenidae
Nymphalidae (s.str)
Nymphalidae
Satyrinae
1. Butterfly families
Skippers - Hesperiidae Papilionidae Whites - Pieridae

© Erk Dallmeyer

© Gór Ádám
© Szombathelyi Ervin

Riodinidae Lycaenidae Nymphalidae

© Káldi József © Nestor Tamás © Gór Ádám

1. Butterfly families
1.1 Skippers – Hesperiidae
© Erk Dallmeyer
Erynnis tages – dingy skipper
⚫ Small body, 'stocky'
⚫ Large, broad head
⚫ Thick, massive thorax
⚫ Relatively small wing area
⚫ Tip of the antenna is
curved
⚫ Antennae stem far from
each other on the head
1. Butterfly families
1.1 Family Pieridae

Hesperiinae Heteropterinae

© Chris van Swaay

© Chris van Swaay

Pyrginae
© Albert Vliegenthart

© Cristina Sevilleja
Hesperiinae

© Gór Ádám © Gór Ádám © Gór Ádám

These are two different species. Which photos belong

to the same species? What are the differences?
Hesperiinae

© Gór Ádám

How many species

can you distinguish?
© Gór Ádám © Gór Ádám

© Gór Ádám © Gór Ádám

Hesperiinae

© Gór Ádám

Clear, conspicuous white spots

© Gór Ádám © Gór Ádám

Dull, yellowish spots

2 species

© Gór Ádám © Gór Ádám

Hesperiinae

© Gór Ádám © Gór Ádám

© Gór Ádám

© Gór Ádám © Gór Ádám

© Gór Ádám

The important
key features
are often on
the underside
of the wings!
Hesperia comma Ochlodes sylvanus
Pyrginae Pyrgus sp.

Pyrgus armoricanus Pyrgus malvoides

@R. Panfili @R. Panfili

Spialia sertorius Carcharodus alceae

@R. Panfili @R. Panfili

1. Butterfly families
1.2 Papilionidae ⚫ Large body, large wings
⚫ Hindwing often scalloped, or
has a tail (Papilioninae)
⚫ Forewing edge is transparent,
without scales (Parnassiinae)
© Erk Dallmeyer

Papilio machaon ⚫ Some caterpillars have an

© Gór Ádám
'osmaterium'
Iphiclides podalirius

© Nestor Tamás © Nestor Tamás © 2011 Marvin Smith

Zerynthia polyxena Parnassius mnemosyne
 1. Butterfly families
1.3 Whites - Pieridae
© Albert Vliegenthart
© Chris van Swaay
⚫ Variable body size (small-medium)
⚫ White, yellow and orange ground color
⚫ Often strong sexual dimorphism
⚫ Modified habitat by humans
⚫ Preferred plants: leguminous & crucifers (pests)
⚫ Green eyes
© Cristina Sevilleja
© Chris van Swaay
 Family Pieridae

Pierinae Coliadinae
Dismorphinae

@R. Panfili @P. Mazzei

@P. Mazzei
Whites Yellowish
Leptidea sinapis

White, rounded wing shape

and slow flight
 1.3 Whites - Pieridae

How many species are on

these photos?

© Káldi József © Dr. Gergely Péter

© Erk Dallmeyer © Szombathelyi Ervin © Hudák Tamás

© Hudák Tamás

© Káldi József © Dr. Gergely Péter © Gór Ádám © Hudák Tamás

 1.3 Whites - Pieridae

⚫ Answer: 8 species

⚫ P. mnemosyne: NOT in this

family! (It was a prank)
© Káldi József © Dr. Gergely Péter

Gonepteryx rhamni Leptidea sinapis/juvernica

© Erk Dallmeyer © Szombathelyi Ervin © Hudák Tamás

© Hudák Tamás
Anthocharis cardamines Parnassius mnemosyne Aporia crataegi Anthocharis cardamines

© Káldi József © Dr. Gergely Péter © Gór Ádám © Hudák Tamás

Colias hyale Pieris brassicae Pieris rapae Pieris brassicae
1.3 Whites - Pieridae
Example of confusing species

Mickey
Mouse

© Gór Ádám
© Hudák Tamás

Pontia edusa/daplidice Anthocharis cardamines

On the underside, there is more

On the underside, there is more
white than green, green patches
green than white, green patches
are smaller and the pattern is
are large
fragmented
 1.3 Whites - Pieridae

Pieris brassicae

Important to check the apical spot (red

arrow) how long and diffuse it is in
Pieris species
Pieris rapae Pieris napi
Pierinae
Pieris brassicae Pieris rapae
@R. Panfili @M. Bonifacino

Pieris napi Pieris mannii

@P. Mazzei @P. Mazzei
1. Butterfly families
1.4 Lycaenidae

• Small or medium body size

• Sexual dimorphism
• Myrmecophily (ant relationship)
• Labial palps usually protrude
© Chris van Swaay
forward
• Rapid flight

© Albert Vliegenthart

© Gór Ádám

© Chris van Swaay © Chris van Swaay

1.4 Family Lycaenidae

Lycaeninae Theclinae Polyommatinae

© Gór Ádám
© Gór Ádám © Nestor Tamás © Hudák Tamás

© Hudák Tamás
© Nestor Tamás
© Kurucz Lajos © Kurucz Lajos

⚫ Violet, orange or brown

ground color ⚫ Blue male – brown
⚫ Forewing underside: female (not always)
© Hudák Tamás
black spot in the basal ⚫ Orange spots at the edge
area of the underside and/or
⚫ Brownish ground color
conspicuous black spots
⚫ Small tail
⚫ White streak on the
hindwing underside
 ⚫ Orange band
⚫ Skyblue (azure) extended on both
⚫ Black lines in the wings
white edge at the ⚫ Metallic blue dots

end of the veins Plebejus argyrognomon

© Nestor Tamás Polyommatus bellargus
© Kurucz Lajos

⚫ Forewing underside: ⚫ Orange band on

line of black spots is forewing reduced
J-shaped ⚫ Metallic blue dots
Maculinea alcon
Plebejus argus
© Szombathelyi Ervin © Gór Ádám

⚫ Forewing
underside: line of ⚫ Black spot in the
black spots is forewing cell
curved, but does ⚫ No metallic blue dots
not turn back

© Káldi József Maculinea teleius © Gór Ádám Polyommatus icarus

Examples of identification keys to pay attention

1. Butterfly families
1.5 Riodinidae

• A subfamily from the tropics – Metalmarks butterflies

• Diverse family: a single species in Europe
• Between Nymphalidae and Lycaenidae

Wikipedia

Reise der Österreichischen

Fregatte Novara um die Erde (1861–1876)
© Káldi József

Duke of Burgundy – Hamearis lucina

© Gór Ádám
1. Butterfly families
© Hudák Tamás
1.6 Nymphalidae
⚫ First pair of legs is vestigial, you see 'four-legged'
⚫ Very diverse: size, shape, color (frequent orange &
red), life history
⚫ They can feed on rotten fruits (not only nectar)

Subfamilies:
- Libytheinae
- Limenitinae
- Heliconiinae
- Apaturinae
- Nymphalinae
© Chris van Swaay © Hudák Tamás
- Satyrinae

© Káldi József

© Gór Ádám
© Chris van Swaay
1.6 Nymphalidae

1.6.1 Libytheinae Unique species in Europe - Lybithea celtis

© Hudák Tamás © Gór Ádám

Palpi are long extended ahead and hibernate as an adult

1.6.2 Limenitinae
⚫ Dark brown or black ground color
⚫ Medium or large body
⚫ White bands

Limenitis camilla

© Kurucz Lajos © Kurucz Lajos

Limenitis reducta

© Szombathelyi Ervin © Szombathelyi Ervin

 1.6.3 Heliconiinae
⚫ Orange ground color, black
pattern
⚫ Pearl-like spots or bands on
the underside

© Hudák Tamás © Hudák Tamás

Argynnis paphia

Better to
check the
underside for © Szombathelyi Ervin
identification

© Gór Ádám © Gór Ádám © Szombathelyi Ervin

Brenthis ino

© Hudák Tamás

© Hudák Tamás
Issoria lathonia
 © Gór Ádám
1.6.4 Apaturinae

⚫ Blackish, brownish wing

⚫ Medium-large body size
⚫ Blue-violet iridescence

© Gór Ádám

Apaturia ilia
© Chris van Swaay
1.6.5 Nymphalinae
⚫ Very diverse group
⚫ Hindwing scalloped or forewing elongated
⚫ Black/brown ground color and orange spots and bands

© Hudák Tamás © Gór Ádám © Nestor Tamás

Polygonia c-album Euphydryas maturna Melitaea cinxia

© Gór Ádám © Gór Ádám © Gór Ádám

Inachis io Vanessa atalanta Vanessa cardui

 1.6.6 Satyrinae
© Hudák Tamás

⚫ Eye-spots (single or chain)

⚫ Mostly brownish ground-color
⚫ Caterpillars feed mostly on grasses © Káldi József

Lasiommata megera

Coenonympha pamphilus

© Gór Ádám

Melanargia galathea

© Hudák Tamás © Gór Ádám

Maniola jurtina Lopinga achine

© Nestor Tamás

© Gór Ádám © Hudák Tamás

Which butterflies do NOT belong to Nymphalinae?

© Hudák Tamás

© Gór Ádám © Káldi József

© Hudák Tamás © Hudák Tamás

© Nestor Tamás

© Gór Ádám © Hudák Tamás

Lycaena tityrus (female) Melitaea aurelia Melitaea diamina

Lycaenidae!

© Hudák Tamás

© Gór Ádám © Káldi József

Melitaea athalia Hamearis lucina Riodinidae! Melitaea britomartis

© Hudák Tamás © Hudák Tamás

Araschnia levana Hamearis lucina Riodinidae!

© Nestor Tamás © Nestor Tamás © Káldi József

© Káldi József © Káldi József © Nestor Tamás

© Káldi József

© Nestor Tamás © Káldi József © Nestor Tamás

Two species are shown on these 10 pictures. Which specimens belong

to each species? What might be the keys?
© Nestor Tamás © Nestor Tamás © Káldi József © Káldi József

© Nestor Tamás
© Káldi József

© Nestor Tamás © Káldi József

© Nestor Tamás
Coenonympha glycerion Coenonympha pamphilus

Hindwing: Hindwing:
⚫ Thin orange edge ⚫ No orange edge
⚫ Eye-spot row, variable ⚫ No eye-spots, max. tiny © Káldi József
white spot ahead of it dots; no white spot
Forewing: Forewing:
⚫ No eye-spot or very ⚫ One big eye-spot
reduced
2. Guides and help

Books:
- All European species (Collins Butterfly Guide)

- Butterflies of Britain and Europe. A Photographic

Guide

For better
identification, check
national or local
- A Photographic Guide. Butterflies of Central
books for butterflies of
Europe & Britain. Peter Gergely
your surroundings
You can download the Pdf here
2. Guides and help

Websites:
• www.eurobutterflies.com by Matt Rowlings
• Leps.it (Moths and Butterflies Europe and North Africa)
• Lepiforum http://lepiforum.de (in German)
• UFZ Distribution maps of European butterfly species
2. Guides and help
Websites:
• European Butterfly Group
http://www.european-butterflies.org.uk/
With pdfs of Butterfly Identification Guides for
different butterflies groups
2. Guides and help

Facebook Groups:

Social media helps in butterfly

identification and create a
butterfly community

• National groups
• Local pages
Acknowledgement
Photos of mounted museum specimens were made by Gábor Ronkay and the
Hungarian Natural History Museum is the copyright owner.
Otherwise copyright owners' name is shown on the nature photos.

Authors: Adam Korosi for the creation of

this material and Cristina G. Sevilleja

European Butterfly
Monitoring Scheme

Assessing ButterfLies
© Chris van Swaay in Europe