List of butterflies of the United Arab Emirates

This is a list of butterflies of the United Arab Emirates. Over 50 species are known from the United Arab Emirates.

Papilionidae

Papilioninae

Papilionini

• Papilio machaon muetingi <small>Seyer, 1976</small>
• Papilio demoleus <small>Linnaeus, 1758</small>

Pieridae - whites and yellows

Subfamily-Pierinae

• Belenois aurota <small>(Fabricius, 1793)</small> caper white
• Colotis amata <small>(Cramer, 1775)</small> small salmon Arab
• Colotis danae <small>(Klug, 1829)</small> scarlet tip
• Colitis fausta <small>(Olivier, 1804)</small> salmon Arab
• Colitis liagore <small>(Klug, 1829)</small> desert orange tip
• Colitis phisadia <small>(Godart, 1819)</small> blue spotted Arab
• Euchloe transcaspica amseli <small>(Gross & Ebert 1975)</small> white desert black tip

• Euchloe belemia <small>(Esper, 1800)</small> green striped white
• Pieris krueperi <small>(de Nicéville, 1883)</small> Krueper's small white
• Pieris rapae <small>(Le Cerf, 1913)</small> small cabbage white
• Pontia glauconome <small>(Klug, 1829)</small> desert white

Sub-family Coliadinae - yellows and sulphurs

• Catopsilia florella <small>(Fabricius, 1775)</small> African emigrant
• Catopsilia pyranthe <small>(Linnaeus, 1758)</small> mottled emigrant
• Colias croceus <small>(Geoffroy, 1785)</small> clouded yellow
• Eurema hecabe solifera <small>(Butler, 1875)</small> common grass yellow

Nymphalidae - brush-footed butterflies

Sub-family Danainae

• Danaus chrysippus <small>(Linnaeus, 1758)</small> plain tiger

Sub-family Nymphalinae

• Hypolimnas misippus <small>(Linnaeus, 1764)</small> diadem or danaid eggfly
• Junonia hierta <small>Trimen, 1870</small> yellow pansy
• Junonia orithya <small>Lang, 1884</small> blue pansy
• Vanessa cardui <small>(Linnaeus, 1758)</small> painted lady

Sub-family Satyrinae - browns

• Hipparchia parisatis <small>(Kollar, 1849)</small> white-edged rock brown
• Ypthima asterope <small>(Klug, 1832)</small> common three-ring
• Ypthima bolanica <small>Marshall, 1882</small> Baluchi ringlet

Lycaenidae - blues

Sub-family Theclinae

• Apharitis acamas hypargyros <small>(Butler, 1886)</small> tawny silverline
• Apharitis myrmecophila <small>(Dumont, 1922)</small> desert silverline
• Deudorix livia barnetti <small>Libert, 2005</small> pomegranate playboy
• Myrina silenus <small>Stoneham, 1937</small> fig blue

Sub-family Polyommatinae

• Agrodiaetus loewii <small>(Walker, 1870)</small> Loew's blue
• Anthene amarah amarah <small>(Guerin, 1847)</small> leaden ciliate blue
• Azanus jesous <small>(Guerin, 1847)</small> African babul blue
• Azanus ubaldus <small>(Stoll, [1782])</small> desert babul blue
• Brephidium exilis <small>(Boisduval, 1852)</small> western pygmy blue
• Chilades galba <small>(Lederer, 1855)</small> Lederer's Cupid
• Chilades pandava <small>(Horsfield, 1829)</small> cycad Cupid or plains Cupid
• Chilades parrhasius <small>(Fabricius, 1793)</small> small Cupid
• Chilades trochylus <small>(Freyer, 1845)</small> grass jewel
• Euchrysops cnejus <small>(Fabricius, 1793)</small> gram blue
• Lampides boeticus <small>(Linnaeus, 1767)</small> pea blue
• Pseudophilotes vicrama <small>(Christoph, 1887)</small> eastern baton blue
• Tarucus balkanicus <small>(Freyer, 1844)</small> Balkan Pierrot
• Tarucus rosaceus <small>(Austat, 1885)</small> Mediterranean Pierrot
• Zizeeria karsandra <small>(Moore, 1865)</small> Asian grass blue
• Zizula hylax <small>(Fabricius, 1775)</small> tiny grass blue

Hesperiidae-skippers

Sub-family Coeliadinae

• Pyrrhiades anchises <small>(Butler, 1861)</small> giant skipper

Sub-family Pyriginae – grizzled skippers

• Gomalia elma <small>(Trimen, 1862)</small> African mallow skipper / marbled skipper
• Spialia colotes <small>(de Jong, 1978)</small> Transvaal grizzled skipper
• Spialia doris <small>(Walker, 1870)</small> desert grizzled skipper
• Spialia mafa <small>(Trimen, 1870)</small> Mafa grizzled skipper
• Spialia mangana <small>(Rebel, 1899)</small> Arabian grizzled skipper

• Spialia zebra <small>(Higgins, 1924)</small> zebra grizzled skipper

Sub-family Hesperiinae – grass skippers

• Gegenes nostrodamus <small>(Fabricius, 1793)</small> Mediterranean skipper
• Gegenes pumilio <small>(Hoffmannsegg, 1804)</small> pygmy skipper
• Pelopidas mathias <small>(Fabricius, 1798)</small> black-branded swift
• Pelopidas thrax <small>(Hübner, 1821)</small> white-branded swift

See also

• List of moths of the United Arab Emirates
• Wildlife of the United Arab Emirates

References