Recommended field guide
Collins Butterflies Guide (covers all of Europe)
I’ve worked with Lazaros Pamperis (author of The Butterflies of Greece) to produce a complete list of butterflies recording from Lesvos.
Southern Comma Polygomum egea
Molivos, Lesvos, May 2007 © Steve Dudley
A CHECKLIST OF THE BUTTERFLIES OF LESVOS
with thanks to Lazaros Pamperis
Click on the highlighted species names for photo
| Species name | Scientific name |
|---|---|
| Scarce Swallowtail | Iphiclides podalirius |
| Swallowtail | Papilio machaon |
| Southern Swallowtail | Papilio alexanor |
| Eastern Festoon | Allancastria cerisy |
| Falso Apollo | Archon apollinus |
| Black-veined White | Aporia crataegi |
| Large White | Pieris brassicae |
| Small White | Pieris rapae |
| Green-veined White | Pieris napi |
| Balkan Green-veined White | Pieris balcana |
| Krueper’s Small White | Pieris krueperi |
| Eastern Bath White | Pontia edusa |
| Eastern Dappled White | Euchloe ausonia |
| Orange Tip | Anthocharis cardamines |
| Clouded Yellow | Colias crocea |
| Powdered Brimstone | Gonepteryx farinosa |
| Cleopatra | Gonepteryx cleopatra |
| Wood White | Leptidea sinapis |
| Plain Tiger | Danaus chrysippus |
| Nettle-tree Butterfly | Libythea celtis |
| Purple Hairstreak | Neozephyrus quercus |
| Sloe Hairstreak | Satyrium acaciae |
| Ilex Hairstreak | Satyrium ilicis |
| Blue-spot Hairstreak | Satyrium spini |
| Green Hairstreak | Callophrys rubi |
| Small Copper | Lycaena phlaeas |
| Purple-shot Copper | Lycaena alciphron |
| Long-tailed Blue | Lampides boeticus |
| Lang’s Short-tailed Blue | Leptodes pirithous |
| Holly Blue | Celastrina argiolus |
| Green-underside Blue | Glaucopsyche alexis |
| Eastern Baton Blue | Pseudophilotes vicrama |
| Brown Argus | Aricia agestis |
| Amanda’s Blue | Polyommatus amanda |
| Common Blue | Polyommatus icarus |
| Two-tailed Pasha | Charaxes jasius |
| Southern White Admiral | Limenitis reducta |
| Large Tortoiseshell | Nymphalis polychloros |
| Camberwell Beauty | Nymphalis antiopa |
| Red Admiral | Vanessa atalanta |
| Painted Lady | Vanessa cardui |
| Comma | Polygonia c-album |
| Southern Comma | Polygonia egea |
| Cardinal | Argynnis pandora |
| Silver-washed Fritillary | Argynnis paphia |
| Queen of Spain Fritillary | Issoria lathonia |
| Marbled Fritillary | Brenthis daphne |
| Knapweed Fritillary | Melitaea phoebe |
| Aegean Fritillary* | Melitaea telona |
| Spotted Fritillary | Melitaea didyma |
| Lesser Spotted Fritillary | Melitaea trivia |
| Balkan Marbled White | Melanargia larissa |
| Eastern Rock Grayling | Hipparchia syriaca |
| Grecian (Southern) Grayling* | Hipparchia senthes |
| Aegean Grayling | Hipparchia mersina |
| Persian Grayling | Hipparchia pellucida |
| Freyer’s Grayling | Hipparchia fatua |
| White-banded Grayling | Pseudochazara anthelea |
| Great Banded Grayling | Brintesia circe |
| Persian Meadow Brown* | Maniola telmessia |
| Turkish Meadow Brown* | Maniola megala |
| Oriental Meadow Brown | Hyponephele lupina |
| Gatekeeper | Pyronia tithonus |
| Small Heath | Coenonympha pamphilus |
| Speckled Wood | Pararge aegeria |
| Wall Brown | Lasiommata megera |
| Large Wall Brown | Lasiommata maera |
| Lattice Brown | Kirinia roxelana |
| Grizzled Skipper | Pyrgus malvae |
| Orbed Red-underwing Skipper | Spialia orbifer |
| Mallow Skipper | Carcharodus alceae |
| Oriental Marbled Skipper | Carcharodus orientalis |
| Inky Skipper | Erynnis marloyi |
| Lulworth Skipper | Thymelicus acteon |
| Small Skipper | Thymelicus sylvestris |
| Levantine Skipper | Thymelicus hyrax |
| Mediterranean Skipper | Gegenes nostrodamus |
| Millet Skipper | Pelopidas thrax |
* No popular English name so I have given them an English name based on either existing other language name (e.g. Aegean Fritillary taken from the French name) or distribution.
The following species have been reported from Lesvos but remain unconfirmed. If you have an image of any of these species, please send to Lesvos Birding.
Southern Festoon Zerynthia polyxena (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775)
Southern Small White Pieris mannii (Mayer, 1851)
Small Bath White Pontia chloridice (Hübner, 1813)
Berger’s Clouded Yellow Colias alfacariensis Ribbe, 1905
Brimstone Gonepteryx rhamni
Scarce Copper Lycaena virgaureae (Linnaeus, 1758)
Grecian Copper Lycaena ottomanus (Lefèbvre, 1830)
Sooty Copper Lycaena tityrus (Poda, 1761)
Lesser Fiery Copper Lycaena thersamon (Esper, 1784)
Little Blue Cupido minimus (Fuessly, 1775)
Osirus Blue Cupido osiris (Meigen, 1829)
Iolas Blue Iolana iolas (Ochsenheimer, 1816)
Ripart’s Anomalous Blue Polyommatus ripartii (Freyer, 1830)
Meleager’s Blue Polyommatus daphnis (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775)
Chapman’s Blue Polyommatus thersites (Cantener, 1835)
Peacock Inachis io (Linnaeus, 1758)
Small Tortoiseshell Aglais urticae (Linnaeus, 1758)
Niobe Fritillary Argynnis niobe (Linnaeus, 1758)
Marbled White Melanargia galathea (Linnaeus, 1758)
Woodland Grayling Hipparchia fagi (Scopoli, 1763)
Tree Grayling Hipparchia statilinus (Hufnagel, 1766)
Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina (Linnaeus, 1758)
Dusky Meadow Brown Hyponephele lycaon (Rottemburg, 1775)
Oburther’s Grizled Skipper Pyrgus armoricanus (Oberthür, 1910)
Olive Skipper Pyrgus serratulae (Rambur, 1839)
False Marbled Skipper Carcharodus stauderi Reverdin, 1913
Essex Skipper Thymelicus lineola (Ochsenheimer, 1808)
Recommended European butterfly ID websites
European Butterflies
European butterfly gallery
Lesvos butterflies & insects flickr sharing site.
Recommended field guides and books
Collins Butterflies Guide (covers Britain and Europe)
The Butterflies of Greece
Please send records of less common species to Lesvos Birding.
If you have any photos online for me to link to, please let me know.
Last updated 23 December 2013
