In the 10th edition of Systema Naturae, Carl Linnaeus classified the arthropods, including insects, arachnids and crustaceans, among his class "Insecta". Butterflies and moths were brought together under the name Lepidoptera. Linnaeus divided the group into three genera â Papilio, Sphinx and Phalaena. The first two, together with the seven subdivisions of the third, are now used as the basis for nine superfamily names: Papilionoidea, Sphingoidea, Bombycoidea, Noctuoidea, Geometroidea, Tortricoidea, Pyraloidea, Tineoidea and Alucitoidea.
Themes
When naming the nearly 200 species of butterflies known to him at the time, Linnaeus used names from classical mythology as specific names. These were thematically arranged into six groups, and were drawn from classical sources including the Fabulae of Gaius Julius Hyginus and Pliny the Elder's Naturalis Historia. The first such group was the Equites, or knights, which were divided into the Equites Trojani (Trojan army) and Equites Achivi (Achaean army), and between them named most of the figures involved in the Trojan War. The second group was the Heliconii, comprising Apollo and Muses. The third group was the Danai, divided into the Danai Candidi and the Danai Festivi, representing the Danaids and their husbands. The fourth group was the Nymphales, or nymphs, divided into the Nymphales gemmati and the Nymphales phalerati, on the basis of the insects' wing markings. The fifth group, the Plebeji, were divided into Plebeji Rurales and Plebeji Urbicolae. There is little thematic connection between their names. The final group was the Barbari, or Argonauts.
Papilio (butterflies)
Equites Trojani
Equites Achivi
Heliconii
Danai candidi
- Papilio anacardii â Protogoniomorpha anacardii
- Papilio crataegi â Aporia crataegi, black-veined white
- Papilio brassicae â Pieris brassicae, large white
- Papilio rapae â Pieris rapae, small white
- Papilio napi â Pieris napi, green-veined white
- Papilio sinapis â Leptidea sinapis, wood white
- Papilio daplidice â Pontia daplidice, Bath white
- Papilio cardamines â Anthocharis cardamines, orange tip
- Papilio euippe â Colotis euippe, round-winged orange tip
- Papilio glaucippe â Hebomoia glaucippe
- Papilio pyranthe â Catopsilia pyranthe
- Papilio arsalte â Heliopetes arsalte
- Papilio hyparete â Delias hyparete
- Papilio damone â [nomen dubium]
- Papilio trite â Rhabdodryas trite
- Papilio hyale â Colias hyale, pale clouded yellow
- Papilio sennae â Phoebis sennae, cloudless sulphur
- Papilio rhamni â Gonepteryx rhamni, common brimstone
- Papilio hecabe â Eurema hecabe
Danai festivi
Nymphales gemmati
Nymphales phalerati
- Papilio populi â Limenitis populi, poplar admiral
- Papilio antiopa â Nymphalis antiopa, Camberwell beauty
- Papilio polychloros â Nymphalis polychloros, large tortoiseshell
- Papilio urticae â Aglais urticae, small tortoiseshell
- Papilio c-album â Polygonia c-album, comma
- Papilio c-aureum â Polygonia c-aureum
- Papilio dirce â Colobura dirce
- Papilio amathea â Anartia amathea
- Papilio atalanta â Vanessa atalanta
- Papilio venilia â Pantoporia venilia
- Papilio alimena â Hypolimnas alimena
- Papilio leucothoe â Athyma perius
- Papilio phaetusa â Dryadula phaetusa
- Papilio bolina â Hypolimnas bolina
- Papilio clytia â Papilio clytia
- Papilio neaerea â Pyrrhogyra neaerea
- Papilio acesta â Tigridia acesta
- Papilio similis â Ideopsis similis
- Papilio assimilis â Hestina assimilis
- Papilio dissimilis â Papilio clytia
- Papilio panope â Papilio clytia
- Papilio rumina â Zerynthia rumina
- Papilio levana â Araschnia levana, map (spring generation)
- Papilio prorsa â Araschnia levana, map (summer generations)
- Papilio lucina â Hamearis lucina
- Papilio maturna â Euphydryas maturna, scarce fritillary
- Papilio cinxia â Melitaea cinxia, Glanville fritillary
- Papilio paphia â Argynnis paphia
- Papilio cytherea â Adelpha cytherea
- Papilio aglaja â Speyeria aglaja, dark green fritillary
- Papilio lathonia â Issoria lathonia
- Papilio euphrosyne â Boloria euphrosyne
- Papilio niobe â Fabriciana niobe
- Papilio vanillae â Agraulis vanillae
Plebeji rurales
Plebeji urbicolae
Barbari
Sphinx (hawk moths)
Phalaena (moths)
Bombyces
Noctuae
Geometrae
Tortrices
Pyrales
Tineae
Alucitae
Footnotes
References