List of butterflies of the Cayman Islands

This is a list of butterflies of the Cayman Islands. According to a recent estimate, there are 52 butterfly species found on the Cayman Islands. The abbreviation (Es) is used to indicate endemic subspecies.

Papilionidae

• Battus polydamas cubensis <small>(Dufrane, 1946)</small> – Polydamas swallowtail
• Heraclides andraemon andraemon <small>(Hübner, 1823)</small> – Andraemon swallowtail
• Heraclides andraemon tailori <small>(Rothschild & Jordan, 1906)</small> – Grand Cayman swallowtail (Es)
• Heraclides aristodemus <small>(Esper, 1794)</small> – dusky swallowtail

Pieridae

• Abaeis nicippe <small>(Cramer, 1779)</small> – black bordered orange, sleepy orange
• Anteos maerula <small>(Fabricius, 1775)</small> – yellow angled sulphur
• Aphrissa orbis <small>(Poey, 1832)</small> – orbed sulphur
• Aphrissa statira cubana <small>(D'Almeida, 1939)</small> – migrant sulphur
• Ascia monuste eubotea <small>(Godart, 1819)</small> – great southern white
• Eurema daira palmira <small>(Godart, 1819)</small> – barred sulphur
• Eurema elathea <small>(Cramer, 1777)</small> – false barred sulphur
• Glutophrissa drusilla poeyi <small>(Butler, 1872)</small> – Florida white
• Nathalis iole <small>(Boisduval, 1836)</small> – dainty sulphur, dwarf yellow
• Phoebis agarithe antillia <small>(Brown, 1929)</small> – giant orange sulphur
• Phoebis argante <small>(Fabricius, 1775)</small> – apricot sulphur, Argante giant sulphur
• Phoebis philea <small>(Linnaeus, 1763)</small> – orange-barred sulphur
• Phoebis sennae sennae <small>(Linnaeus, 1758)</small> – cloudless sulphur
• Pyrisitia lisa euterpe <small>(Ménétriés, 1832)</small> – little sulphur
• Pyrisitia messalina <small>(Fabricius, 1787)</small> – shy yellow
• Pyrisitia nise nise <small>(Cramer, 1775)</small> – mimosa sulphur, blacktip sulphur

Nymphalidae

Nymphalinae

• Anaea troglodyta cubana <small>(Fabricius, 1775)</small> – Cuban red leaf butterfly, troglodyte
• Anartia jatrophae jamaicensis <small>(Möshler, 1886)</small> – white peacock
• Euptoieta hegesia hegesia <small>(Cramer, 1779)</small>
• Hamadryas amphichloe <small>(Boisduval, 1870)</small> – Haitian cracker, click butterfly
• Hypolimnas misippus <small>(Linnaeus, 1764)</small> – mimic
• Junonia evarete <small>(Cramer, 1779)</small> – mangrove buckeye
• Junonia genoveva <small>(Cramer, 1780)</small> – Caribbean buckeye, tropical buckeye
• Marpesia chiron <small>(Fabricius, 1775)</small> – many-banded daggerwing
• Marpesia eleuchea <small>(Hübner, 1818)</small> – Antillean ruddy daggerwing
• Memphis verticordia danielana <small>(Witt, 1972)</small> – Cayman brown leaf butterfly (Es)
• Phyciodes phaon <small>(W.H.Edwards, 1864)</small> – Cayman crescent spot
• Phyciodes tharos <small>(Drury, [1773])</small>
• Siproeta stelenes bilagiata <small>(Fruhstorfer, 1907)</small> – malachite
• Vanessa cardui <small>(Linnaeus, 1758)</small> – painted lady

Danainae

• Danaus eresimus tethys <small>(Cramer, 1777)</small> – soldier
• Danaus gilippus berenice <small>(Cramer, 1775)</small> – queen
• Danaus plexippus <small>(Linnaeus, 1758)</small> – monarch

Satyrinae

• Calisto herophile <small>(Hübner, 1823)</small> – ringlet

Heliconiinae

• Agraulis vanillae insularis <small>(Maynard, 1889)</small> – Gulf fritillary
• Dryas iulia zoe <small>(Miller & Steinhauser, 1992)</small> – Julia, flambeau (Es)
• Heliconius charitonius <small>(Linnaeus, 1767)</small> – zebra

Lycaenidae

• Brephidium exilis thompsoni <small>(Carpenter & Lewis, 1943)</small> – pygmy blue (Es)
• Chlorostrymon maesites <small>(Henrrich-Schäffer, 1864)</small> – amethyst hairstreak
• Cyclargus ammon erembis <small>Nabokov, 1948</small> – Lucas's blue (Es)
• Electrostrymon angelia <small>(Hewitson, 1874)</small> – fulvous hairstreak
• Eumaeus atala <small>(Poey, 1832)</small> – Atala
• Hemiargus hanno filenus <small>(Poey, 1832)</small> – Hanno blue
• Leptoptes cassius theonus <small>(Lucas, 1857)</small> – Cassius blue
• Strymon acis <small>(Drury, 1773)</small> – Drury's hairstreak
• Strymon istapa <small>(Reakirt, 1867)</small> – Hewitson's hairstreak
• Strymon martialis <small>(Henrrich-Schäffer, 1865)</small> – Cuban grey hairstreak

Hesperiidae

• Asbolis capucinus <small>(Lucas, 1857)</small> – monk
• Atalopedes mesogramma <small>(Latreille, 1824)</small> – striped skipper
• Calpodes ethlius <small>(Stoll, 1782)</small> – canna skipper, Brazilian skipper
• Cymaenes tripuntus <small>(Henrrich-Schäffer, 1865)</small> – three spot skipper
• Hylephila phyleus <small>(Drury, 1773)</small> – fiery skipper
• Panoquina lucas <small>(Fabricius, 1793)</small> – purple-washed skipper, sugar cane skipper
• Panoquina ocala <small>(W. H. Edwards, 1863)</small> – Ocala skipper
• Panoquina panoquinoides <small>(Skinner, 1891)</small> – obscure skipper
• Phocides pigmalion batabano <small>(Lucas, 1857)</small> – mangrove skipper
• Urbanus dorantes santiago <small>(Lucas, 1857)</small> – Dorantes skipper
• Urbanus proteus domingo <small>(Scudder, 1872)</small> – long-tailed skipper

References

• R. R. Askew and P. A. van B. Stafford, Butterflies of the Cayman Islands (Apollo Books, Stenstrup 2008)
• Cayman Butterflies