Subfamily Pyrginae (spread-winged skippers)

• Dingy Skipper
  Dingy Skipper
  The Dingy Skipper, Erynnis tages, is a butterfly of the Hesperiidae family. It ranges from Europe across Asia Minor and Central Asia to the Amur region.Erynnis tages favours open grassy habitats up to 2,000 metres above sea level...
  
   – Erynnis tages. The subspecies
  Subspecies
  Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
  
   baynesi Huggins, 1956 is recorded from the Burren
  The Burren
  The Burren is a karst-landscape region or alvar in northwest County Clare, in Ireland. It is one of the largest karst landscapes in Europe. The region measures approximately 250 square kilometres and is enclosed roughly within the circle made by the villages Ballyvaughan, Kinvara, Tubber, Corofin,...
  
   region of Co Clare and Galway. The populations elsewhere in Ireland are presumably the type subspecies.

Subfamily Dismorphiinae

Dismorphiinae

Dismorphiinae is a subfamily of butterflies from the family Pieridae. It consists of about 100 species in 7 genera, distributed mainly in the Neotropical region, of which only one species occurs in North America and one genus, Leptidea, in the Palaeartic region.- Genera of Dismorphiinae :*...

• Wood White – Leptidea sinapis
• Cryptic Wood White - Leptidea juvernica stat. nov.

Subfamily Coliadinae

Coliadinae

Coliadinae, the sulfurs, sulphurs, or yellows, are a subfamily of butterflies with about 300 described species.There are 36 species in North America, where they range from Mexico to northern Canada...

• Clouded Yellow – Colias croceus
• Brimstone – Gonepteryx rhamni. The Irish subspecies
  Subspecies
  Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
  
   is gravesi Huggins, 1956

Subfamily Pierinae

Pierinae

The Pierinae are a large subfamily of Pierid butterflies. The subfamily is one of several clades of butterflies often referred to as the Whites...

• Large White
  Large White
  The Large White , also called Cabbage Butterfly, Cabbage White, or in India the Large Cabbage White, White cabbage butterfly is a butterfly in the family Pieridae.-Distribution:...
  
   – Pieris brassicae
• Small White – Pieris rapae
• Green-veined White
  Green-veined White
  The Green-veined White is a butterfly of the Pieridae family.-Appearance and distribution:A circumboreal species widespread across Europe and Asia, including the Indian subcontinent, Japan and the Maghreb and North America...
  
   – Pieris napi. The subspecies britannica (Muller & Kautz, 1939) is only found in Ireland. The British
  Great Britain
  Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
  
   subspecies is sabellicae (Stephens, 1827)
• Orange Tip – Anthocharis cardamines. The Irish subspecies is hibernica (Williams, 1916)

Family Lycaenidae

Lycaenidae

The Lycaenidae are the second-largest family of butterflies, with about 6000 species worldwide, whose members are also called gossamer-winged butterflies...

 (gossamer-winged butterflies)

Subfamily Theclinae

Theclinae

Subfamily Theclinae is a group of butterflies, including the hairstreaks, elfins and allies, in the family Lycaenidae. There are many tropical species as well as a number found in the Americas. Tropical hairstreaks often have iridescent blue coloration above, caused by reflected light from the...

• Green Hairstreak
  Green Hairstreak
  The Green Hairstreak, Callophrys rubi, is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae.Callophrys rubi is found in Europe, North Africa, Russia, Asia Minor, Siberia, Amurland , Baluchistan and Chitral....
  
   – Callophrys rubi
• Brown Hairstreak
  Brown Hairstreak
  The Brown Hairstreak is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. The range includes most of the Palaearctic.-Subspecies:...
  
   – Thecla betulae
• Purple Hairstreak
  Purple Hairstreak
  The Purple Hairstreak Neozephyrus quercus is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae distributed throughout much of Europe. North Africa, Asia Minor, Caucasus and Transcaucasia....
  
   – Neozephyrus quercus

Subfamily Lycaeninae

Lycaeninae

Lycaeninae, the coppers, are a subfamily of the gossamer-winged butterflies .The relationships of the Lycaenidae are not fully resolved. Sometimes the Polyommatinae and Theclinae are included in the Lycaeninae; in particular the Theclinae tribe Eumaeini contains many similar taxa...

• Small Copper – Lycaena phlaeas. The Irish subspecies is hibernica Goodson, 1948

Subfamily Polyommatinae

Polyommatinae

Polyommatinae, the blues, are a subfamily of gossamer-winged butterflies . It was long used to assign taxa of unclear relationships, and its contents are in need of revision...

• Small Blue
  Small Blue
  The Small Blue is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae.It is found in Europe, Asia Minor, Transcaucasia, Tian-Shan, West Siberia, Central Siberia, South Siberia, Russian Far East, Amur, Mongolia, Magadan and Kamchatka....
  
   – Cupido minimus
• Common Blue
  Common Blue
  The Common Blue is a small butterfly in the family Lycaenidae, widespread over much of the Palaearctic. Recently, Polyommatus icarus was discovered in Mirabel, Quebec, Canada by Ara Sarafian, an amateur entomologist who observed the butterfly from 2005 to 2008...
  
   – Polyommatus icarus. The Irish subspecies is mariscolore (Kane, 1893)
• Holly Blue
  Holly Blue
  The Holly Blue , is a butterfly that belongs to the Lycaenids or Blues family and is native to Eurasia and North America.In India, it is known as the Hill Hedge Blue...
  
   – Celastrina argiolus

Subfamily Nymphalinae

Nymphalinae

Nymphalinae is a subfamily of brush-footed butterflies . Sometimes, the Limenitidinae are included here as further tribe, while the Melitaeini are occasionally considered a distinct subfamily.- Systematics:...

• Red Admiral – Vanessa atalanta
• Painted Lady
  Vanessa cardui
  Vanessa cardui is a well-known colourful butterfly, known as the Painted Lady, or in North America as the Cosmopolitan. This butterfly has a strange pattern of flying in a sort of screw shape.-Distribution:...
  
   – Vanessa cardui
• Small Tortoiseshell
  Small Tortoiseshell
  The Small Tortoiseshell is a well-known colourful butterfly.-Range:It is found in temperate Europe, Asia Minor, Central Asia, Siberia, China, Mongolia, Korea and Japan. There are a few records from New York City which, however, are believed to have arrived human-assisted.-Subspecies:*A. u. urticae...
  
   – Aglais urticae
• Peacock
  Inachis io
  The European Peacock , more commonly known simply as the Peacock butterfly, is a colourful butterfly, found in Europe, temperate Asia as far east as Japan. It is the only member of the genus Inachis...
  
   – Inachis io
• Comma
  Comma (butterfly)
  The Comma is a species of butterfly that ranges across Europe and temperate Asia to Japan and south to Morocco. Similar species are found in the United States and Canada.-Subspecies:...
  
   – Polygonia c-album

Subfamily Heliconiinae

Heliconiinae

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...

 (longwings)

• Pearl-bordered Fritillary
  Pearl-bordered Fritillary
  The Pearl-bordered Fritillary is a butterfly of the Nymphalidae family.It is orange with black spots on the upperside of its wing and has a wingspan of 38–46 mm. On the underside of the wings there is a row of silver pearly markings along the edge, which give the species its name...
  
   – Boloria euphrosyne
• Dark Green Fritillary
  Dark Green Fritillary
  The Dark Green Fritillary is a butterfly of the Nymphalidae family.The insect has a wide range in the Palearctic ecozone - Europe, Morocco, Iran , Siberia, Central Asia, China, Korea and Japan.-Subspecies:...
  
   – Argynnis aglaja
• Silver-washed Fritillary
  Silver-washed Fritillary
  Argynnis paphia is a common and variable butterfly found over much of the Palaearctic ecozone – Algeria, Europe, temperate Asia and Japan.-Subspecies:*A. p. butleri Krulikovsky, 1909 Northern Europe, Central Europe...
  
   – Argynnis paphia
• Marsh Fritillary
  Marsh Fritillary
  The Marsh Fritillary, Euphydryas aurinia, is a butterfly of the Nymphalidae family.It is widespread in the Palaearctic region from Ireland in the West to Yakutia in the East, and to North-west China and Mongolia in the South.E. aurinia is represented by many subspecies.The most widely accepted...
  
   – Euphydryas aurinia infrasubspecies hibernica Birchall, 1873

Subfamily Satyrinae

Satyrinae

Satyrinae, the satyrines or satyrids, commonly known as the Browns, is a subfamily of the Nymphalidae . They were formerly considered a distinct family, Satyridae. This group contains nearly half of the known diversity of brush-footed butterflies...

 (browns)

• Speckled Wood
  Speckled Wood
  The Speckled Wood is a butterfly found in and on the borders of woodland throughout much of the Palearctic ecozone.In North Europe, Central Europe , Asia Minor, Syria, Russia and Central Asia where subspecies P. a. tircis occurs it is brown with pale yellow or cream spots and darker upperwing...
  
   – Pararge aegeria
• Wall
  Wall Brown
  The Wall Brown, Lasiommata megera, is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae . It is widespread in the Palearctic ecozone with a large variety of habitats and a number of generations a year.-Range:...
  
   – Lasiommata megera
• Grayling
  Grayling (butterfly)
  The Grayling is a species in the brush-footed butterfly family Nymphalidae. It sometimes occurs in coastal areas of northeast Scotland such as the Fowlsheugh Nature Reserve. It can also be found near the coast around England, such as Fire Beacon Hill...
  
   – Hipparchia semele. The Irish subspecies are clarensis de Lattin, 1952 (County Clare
  County Clare
  -History:There was a Neolithic civilisation in the Clare area — the name of the peoples is unknown, but the Prehistoric peoples left evidence behind in the form of ancient dolmen; single-chamber megalithic tombs, usually consisting of three or more upright stones...
  
  ) and hibernica Howarth, 1971
• Gatekeeper
  Gatekeeper Butterfly
  The Gatekeeper sometimes called the Hedge Brown is a common butterfly in the United Kingdom. It is a member of the subfamily Satyrinae in the family Nymphalidae. A similar species is the Meadow Brown; the two species can be difficult to distinguish with closed wings since underwing markings are...
  
   – Pyronia tithonus
• Meadow Brown
  Meadow Brown
  The Meadow Brown, Maniola jurtina, is a butterfly found in European meadows, where its larvae feed on grasses, such as Sheep's Fescue.Similar species are Gatekeeper and Small Heath ....
  
   – Maniola jurtina. The Irish subspecies is iernes Graves
  Philip Graves
  Philip Perceval Graves was an Irish journalist and writer. While working as a foreign correspondent of The Times in Constantinople, he exposed The Protocols of the Elders of Zion as an antisemitic plagiarism, fraud, and hoax.-Life:Graves, eldest son of the writer Alfred Perceval Graves , was born...
  
  , 1930
• Ringlet – Aphantopus hyperantus
• Small Heath
  Small Heath (butterfly)
  The Small Heath Coenonympha pamphilus is a butterfly species belonging to the family Nymphalidae, . It is widespread in Eurasia and northwestern Africa, preferring drier habitats than other Coenonymphae...
  
   – Coenonympha pamphilus
• Large Heath
  Large Heath
  The Large Heath or Common Ringlet is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It flies in variety of grassy habitats, including roadsides, woodland edges and clearings, prairies, bogs, and arctic and alpine taiga and tundra. It is a poor flyer, but can sometimes be found along ditches seeking new...
  
   – Coenonympha tullia

Vagrant, Adventive, Extinct and Intercepts and Exotic Species

• Small Mountain Ringlet – Erebia epiphron Extinct
• Large Copper
  Large Copper
  The Large Copper is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae.The insect has a wide range occurring throughout the Northern Palearctic ecozone north to the middle taiga zone .-Subspecies:...
  
  - Lycaena dispar Introduced. Extinct

• Pale Clouded Yellow
  Pale Clouded Yellow
  Pale Clouded Yellow is a small butterfly of the Family Pieridae, that is, the Yellows and Whites, which is found in most of Europe and large parts of Asia.-References:* Evans, W.H. The Identification of Indian Butterflies...
  
   – Colias hyale
• Berger's Clouded Yellow – Colias sareptensis
• Short-tailed Blue
  Short-tailed Blue
  The Short-tailed Blue or Tailed Cupid is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. It is found from Central Europe to Japan.-Description:...
  
   – Cupido argiades (imported on Fennel
  Fennel
  Fennel is a plant species in the genus Foeniculum . It is a member of the family Apiaceae . It is a hardy, perennial, umbelliferous herb, with yellow flowers and feathery leaves...
  
   from Italy)
• Geranium Bronze
  Geranium Bronze
  The Geranium Bronze or Brun des pélargoniums in French is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae.The wingspan is 15–23 mm for males and 18–27 mm for females. Adults are on wing year round in warmer areas, but usually from August to May in South Africa...
  
   – Cacyreus marshalli (imported on geraniums)
• Camberwell Beauty – Nymphalis antiopa
• Map
  Map (butterfly)
  The Map is a butterfly of the Nymphalidae family. It is common throughout the lowlands of central and eastern Europe, and is expanding its range in western Europe....
  
   – Araschnia levana (formerly introduced and bred)
• Queen of Spain Fritillary
  Queen of Spain Fritillary
  The Queen of Spain Fritillary is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae.-Range:It occurs throughout the Palaearctic from North Africa to Japan...
  
   – Issoria lathonia
• Monarch
  Monarch butterfly
  The Monarch butterfly is a milkweed butterfly , in the family Nymphalidae. It is perhaps the best known of all North American butterflies. Since the 19th century, it has been found in New Zealand, and in Australia since 1871 where it is called the Wanderer...
  
   – Danaus plexippus
• American Painted Lady
  American Painted Lady
  The American Painted Lady or American Lady is a butterfly found throughout North America.Vanessa virginiensis lives in flowery habitats, usually in mountains. The larvae feed on various Asteraceae, especially the cudweeds of genus Gnaphalium...
  
   – Cynthia virginiensis
• Swallowtail – Papilio machaon

External links

• Irish Butterflies
• Butterflies and Moths of Northern Ireland
• NHM Images of Ireland forms and subspecies on this site. Type Ireland into the search box.
• Wexford Naturalists' Field Club Essex Skipper
• Regan, E.C., Nelson, B., Aldwell, B., Bertrand, C., Bond, K., Harding, J., Nash, D.,Nixon, D. and Wilson, C.J. Ireland Red List No. 4: Butterflies