Butterflies of New Zealand - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The butterflies
Butterfly
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...

of New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

include many endemic species as well as introduced and migrant species. Lepidoptera

Lepidoptera

Lepidoptera is a large order of insects that includes moths and butterflies . It is one of the most widespread and widely recognizable insect orders in the world, encompassing moths and the three superfamilies of butterflies, skipper butterflies, and moth-butterflies...

, which includes the butterflies and moth

Moth

A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...

s, is the third largest insect order

Order (biology)

In scientific classification used in biology, the order is# a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, family, genus, and species, with order fitting in between class and family...

in New Zealand.

List of New Zealand butterflies

Common name	Māori name	Binomial name	Native/endemic/introduced	Conservation status
Australian blue tiger		Danaus hamatus hamatus	casual visitor
Australian meadow argus		Precis villida calybe	casual visitor
Australian painted lady Australian painted lady Vanessa kershawi, commonly known as the Australian Painted Lady, is a butterfly that is mostly confined to Australia, although westerly winds have dispersed it to islands east of Australia, including New Zealand. During spring adult butterflies migrate south in large numbers from northern states of...	pepe parahua	Vanessa (Cynthia) kershawi	native
Black mountain ringlet	pepe pouri	Percnodaimon Percnodaimon Percnodaimon pluto, common names black mountain ringlet or pepe pouri, is a species of butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is endemic to New Zealand, and the only member of its genus Percnodaimon.-External links:* at NZbutterfly.info... pluto	endemic
Blue moon		Hypolimnas bolina Hypolimnas bolina The Great Eggfly , also called the Blue Moon Butterfly in New Zealand or Common Eggfly, is a species of nymphalid butterfly.-Race bolina:... nerina
Boulder copper		Lycaena boldenarum	endemic
Butler's ringlet	pepe pouri	Erebiola butleri Erebiola butleri Erebiola butleri is a butterfly endemic to the South Island of New Zealand, the sole member of the genus Erebiola....	endemic
Chatham Island red admiral	kahukura	Vanessa gonerilla ida	endemic
Common blue	pepe aouri	Zizina otis Zizina otis The Lesser Grass Blue, Zizina otis, is a species of blue butterfly found in south Asia. The Lesser Grass Blue is often misidentified as the Common Grass Blue, Zizina labradus.-Male upperside:... labradus	native
Common copper	pepe pora riki	Lycaena salustius Lycaena salustius The Common Copper is a butterfly of the Lycaenidae family. It is found in New Zealand.The wingspan is 24–35 mm. Adults are on wing from October to April.The larvae feed on Muehlenbeckia species.-External links:*...	endemic
Common Emigrant or Lemon Emigrant		Catopsilia pomona Catopsilia pomona The Common Emigrant or Lemon Emigrant is a medium sized pierid butterfly found in Asia and parts of Australia. The species gets its name from its habit of migration. Some early authors considered them as two distinct species Catopsilia crocale and Catopsilia pomona.-Description:The species has... pomona	casual visitor
Common evening brown		Melanitis leda Melanitis leda Melanitis leda, the Common Evening Brown, is a common species of butterfly found flying at dusk. The flight of this species is erratic. They are found in Africa, South Asia and South-east Asia extending to parts of Australia.-Description:... bankia	casual visitor
Glade copper		Lycaena feredayi Lycaena feredayi The Glade Copper is a butterfly of the Lycaenidae family. It is found in New Zealand.The wingspan is 25–32 mm. Adults are on wing from November to December and from February to the beginning of April....	endemic
Forest ringlet Helm's Butterfly Helm's butterfly or the forest ringlet butterfly, Dodonidia helmsii, is a rare butterfly of the family Nymphalidae, endemic to New Zealand. It is the only species in the genus Dodonidia....		Dodonidia helmsii	endemic	Serious Decline
Lesser grass blue		Zizina otis Zizina otis The Lesser Grass Blue, Zizina otis, is a species of blue butterfly found in south Asia. The Lesser Grass Blue is often misidentified as the Common Grass Blue, Zizina labradus.-Male upperside:...	casual visitor
Lesser wanderer		Danaus chrysippus Danaus chrysippus Danaus chrysippus, known as the Plain Tiger or African Monarch, is a common butterfly which is widespread in Asia and Africa. It belongs to the Danainae subfamily of the brush-footed butterfly family, Nymphalidae... petilia	casual visitor
Long-tailed blue		Lampides boeticus Lampides boeticus The Peablue, Pea Blue, or Long-tailed Blue is a small butterfly found in Europe, Africa, South and Southeast Asia, and Australia that belongs to the Lycaenids or gossamer-winged family....	native
Monarch		Danaus plexippus plexippus	native
New Zealand red admiral New Zealand Red Admiral The New Zealand Red Admiral is a butterfly that is endemic to New Zealand. The Māori name is kahukura which means red cloak. The Red Admiral is a member of the family Nymphalidae, the sub-family Nymphalinae as well as the tribe Nymphalini.There are two sub-species of Vanessa gonerilla, V. g...	kahukura	Vanessa gonerilla gonerilla	endemic
Rauparaha’s copper		Lycaena rauparaha	endemic
Small White (White butterfly)	pepe ma	Pieris rapae rapae	introduced
Southern blue		Zizina otis Zizina otis The Lesser Grass Blue, Zizina otis, is a species of blue butterfly found in south Asia. The Lesser Grass Blue is often misidentified as the Common Grass Blue, Zizina labradus.-Male upperside:... oxleyi	endemic
Tussock ringlet		Argyrophenga Argyrophenga Argyrophenga, is a genus of butterflies that are endemic to New Zealand. It comprises three species that are found in the Southern Alps of the South Island of New Zealand.-Species:* Argyrophenga antipodum Doubleday, 1845... antipodum	endemic
Tussock ringlet		Argyrophenga Argyrophenga Argyrophenga, is a genus of butterflies that are endemic to New Zealand. It comprises three species that are found in the Southern Alps of the South Island of New Zealand.-Species:* Argyrophenga antipodum Doubleday, 1845... harrisi	endemic
Tussock ringlet		Argyrophenga Argyrophenga Argyrophenga, is a genus of butterflies that are endemic to New Zealand. It comprises three species that are found in the Southern Alps of the South Island of New Zealand.-Species:* Argyrophenga antipodum Doubleday, 1845... janitae	endemic
Yellow admiral Yellow admiral The Yellow or Australian Admiral is a butterfly native to Australia, New Zealand, Lord Howe and Norfolk Islands. The Māori name is kahukowhai, which means "yellow cloak"...	kahukowhai	Vanessa itea	native

Conservation

Very little is known about any butterfly extinctions since human settlement of New Zealand since they leave few remains. The majority of New Zealand invertebrates are found in forests so it is likely that some butterflies became extinct due to the large scale forest clearance after human settlement.

External links

Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand - Butterflies and moths
New Zealand Entomological Society
Monarch Butterfly NZ Trust

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

List of New Zealand butterflies

Conservation

See also

External links