Butterfly Classification

Butterfly Classification

Although the butterflies are classified in two superfamilies, Hesperioidea and Papilionoidea, these are sister taxa, so the butterflies collectively are thought to constitute a true clade. Some modern taxonomists place them all in superfamily Papilionoidea, distinguishing the skippers from the other butterflies at the series level only. There is only one family in the Hesperioidea (or series Hesperiiformes), the skipper family Hesperiidae. The families usually recognised in the Papilionoidea (or Papilioniformes) are:

Swallowtails and Birdwings, Papilionidae

Whites or Yellow-Whites, Pieridae

Blues and Coppers or Gossamer-Winged Butterflies, Lycaenidae

Metalmark butterflies, Riodinidae

Brush-footed butterflies, Nymphalidae

A major new study (Wahlberg et al., 2005) combining morphological and molecular data concluded that Hesperiidae, Papilionidae, Pieridae, Lycaenidae and Riodinidae could all be strongly supported as monophyletic clades, but the status of Nymphalidae is equivocal. Lycaenidae and Riodinidae were confirmed as sister taxa, and Papilionidae as the outgroup to the rest of the true butterflies, but the location of Pieridae within the pattern of descent was unclear, with different lines of evidence suggesting different conclusions. The data suggested that the Hedyloidea are indeed more closely related to the butterflies than to other moths.

Some older taxonomies recognize additional families, for example Danaidae, Heliconiidae, Libytheidae and Satyridae, but modern classifications treat these as subfamilies within the Nymphalidae.

There are between 15,000 and 20,000 species of butterflies worldwide. Some well known species include:

Small Tortoiseshell, Nymphalis urticae

Small White, Artogeia rapae

Green-veined White, Artogeia napi

Monarch butterfly, Danaus plexippus

Red Admiral, Vanessa atalanta

Painted Lady or Cosmopolite, Vanessa cardui

Peacock, Inachis io

Xerces Blue, Glaucopsyche xerces

Gulf Fritillary, Agraulis vanillae

Black Swallowtail, Papilio polyxenes

Spicebush Swallowtail, Papilio troilus

Karner Blue, Lycaeides melissa samuelis (endangered)

Morpho genus

Troides genus (birdwings; the largest butterflies)

Speckled Wood, Pararge aegeria

Some interesting facts on butterfiles :- Butterfly Fun Facts