Butterflies in Armenia

The landlocked nation of Armenia is home to a wide variety of butterflies. Over 200 species of butterflies make their home in this country, including the Persian Skipper, the Marbled Fritillary, and the Lesser Fiery Copper, making it one of the most notable places in the Caucasus region to see butterflies.

Butterflies in Armenia

Butterflies in Armenia

List of Different Butterfly Species of Armenia 

Brush-Footed (Nymphalidae)

  • Baluchi Rockbrown (Pseudochazara thelephassa)
  • Camberwell Beauty (Nymphalis antiopa)
  • Cardinal (Argynnis pandora)
  • Comma (Polygonia c-album)
  • Dark Brown (Chazara persephone)
  • Dryad (Minois dryas)
  • Eastern Knapweed Fritillary (Melitaea telona)
  • Esper’s Marbled White (Melanargia russiae)
  • European Nettle-tree Butterfly (Libythea celtis)
  • False Grayling (Arethusana arethusa)
  • False Heath Fritillary (Melitaea diamina)
  • False Ringlet (Arethusana arethusa)
  • Freyer’s Grayling (Hipparchia fatua)
  • Geyer’s Skipper (Pseudochazara geyeri)
  • Glanville Fritillary (Melitaea cinxia)
  • Iranian Argus (Esperarge climene)
  • Large Ringlet (Hyponephele lycaon)
  • Large Tortoiseshell (Nymphalis polychloros)
  • Lesser Marbled Fritillary (Brenthis ino)
  • Marbled Fritillary (Brenthis daphne)
  • Marsh Fritillary (Euphydryas aurinia)
  • Nickerl’s Fritillary (Melitaea aurelia)
  • Oriental Meadow Brown (Hipparchia syriaca)
  • Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui)
  • Peacock Butterfly (Aglais io)
  • Pearly Heath (Coenonympha arcania)
  • Queen of Spain Fritillary (Issoria lathonia)
  • Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)
  • Saadi Heath (Coenonympha saadi)
  • Shahrud’s Grayling (Pseudochazara schahrudensis)
  • Silver-washed Fritillary (Argynnis paphia)
  • Southern Comma (Polygonia egea)
  • Southern Marbled Skipper (Hyponephele lupinus)
  • Spotted Fritillary (Melitaea didyma)
  • Thalonian Emperor (Thaleropis ionia)
  • Tree Grayling (Hipparchia statilinus)
  • Violet Fritillary (Boloria dia)
  • White Admiral (Limenitis camilla)
  • White-edged Rock Brown (Hipparchia parisatis)
  • Woodland Brown (Brenthis hecate)
  • Yellow-legged Tortoiseshell (Nymphalis xanthomelas)
  • Aglais urticae turcica
  • Boloria caucasica
  • Boloria euphrosyne dagestanica
  • Brintesia circe venusta
  • Chazara bischoffi
  • Chazara briseis armena
  • Coenonympha glycerion alta
  • Coenonympha leander obscura
  • Coenonympha lyllus
  • Coenonympha pamphilus marginata
  • Coenonympha symphyta
  • Erebia aethiops melusina
  • Erebia graucasica
  • Erebia medusa psodea
  • Fabriciana adippe taurica
  • Fabriciana niobe gigantea
  • Hipparchia pellucida
  • Hyponephele lycaonoides
  • Lasiommata maera orientalis
  • Lasiommata megera megerina
  • Limenitis reducta reducta
  • Maniola jurtina strandiana
  • Melanargia galathea satnia
  • Melanargia larissa astanda
  • Melitaea arduinna kocaki
  • Melitaea athalia athalia
  • Melitaea caucasogenita
  • Melitaea interrupta
  • Melitaea persea
  • Melitaea phoebe ottonis
  • Melitaea trivia caucasi
  • Melitaea turkmenica
  • Neptis rivularis ludmilla
  • Nymphalis antiopa
  • Nymphalis polychloros
  • Nymphalis xanthomelas
  • Pararge aegeria tircis
  • Polygonia c-album
  • Polygonia egea
  • Proterebia afra hyrcana
  • Pseudochazara beroe rhena
  • Pseudochazara daghestana
  • Pseudochazara pelopea
  • Satyrus amasinus
  • Satyrus effendi
  • Speyeria aglaja ottomana

Gossamer-Winged (Lycaenidae)

  • Adonis Blue (Lysandra bellargus)
  • Amanda’s Blue (Polyommatus amandus)
  • American Copper (Polyommatus turcicus)
  • Anatolian Odd-spot Blue (Turanana endymion)
  • Balkan Pierrot (Tarucus balkanicus)
  • Blue Argus (Aricia anteros)
  • Caucasian Vernal Copper (Tomares callimachus)
  • Chapman’s Blue (Polyommatus thersites)
  • Damon Blue (Polyommatus damon)
  • Damonides Blue (Polyommatus damonides)
  • Dorylas Blue (Polyommatus dorylas)
  • Dusky Copper (Lycaena candens)
  • Dusky Large Blue (Phengaris nausithous)
  • Eastern Brown Argus (Kretania eurypilus)
  • Erivan Anomalous Blue (Polyommatus eriwanensis)
  • Eros Blue (Polyommatus eros)
  • European Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus)
  • Forster’s Blue (Polyommatus aserbeidschanus)
  • Gerhard’s Black Hairstreak (Satyrium abdominalis)
  • Germanium Argus (Eumedonia eumedon)
  • Glandon Blue (Satyrium acaciae)
  • Golden Copper (Lycaena thetis)
  • Grass Jewel (Freyeria trochylus)
  • Green Hairstreak (Callophrys rubi)
  • Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus)
  • Hyrcanian Hairstreak (Satyrium hyrcanicum)
  • Ilex Hairstreak (Satyrium ilicis)
  • Lang’s Short-tailed Blue (Leptotes pirithous)
  • Large Jewel Blue (Plebejidea loewii)
  • Lesser Fiery Copper (Lycaena thersamon)
  • Long-tailed Blue (Lampides boeticus)
  • Nina’s Blue (Polyommatus ninae)
  • Orange Banded Hairstreak (Satyrium ledereri)
  • Osiris Blue (Cupido osiris)
  • Pfeiffer’s Green Hairstreak (Callophrys paulae)
  • Ripart’s Anomalous Blue (Polyommatus ripartii)
  • Romanoff’s Hairstreak (Tomares romanovi)
  • Short-tailed Blue (Cupido argiades)
  • Small Blue (Cupido minimus)
  • Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas)
  • Sooty Copper (Lycaena tityrus)
  • White-letter Hairstreak (Satyrium w-album)
  • Agriades pyrenaicus dardanus
  • Aricia agestis azerbaidzhana
  • Aricia artaxerxes allous
  • Aricia crassipuncta
  • Aricia isaurica latimargo
  • Callophrys armeniaca
  • Callophrys chalybeitincta
  • Callophrys danchenkoi
  • Cupido staudingeri
  • Cyaniris bellis antiochena
  • Glaucopsyche alexis lugens
  • Iolana iolas lessei
  • Kretania alcedo
  • Kretania sephirus
  • Kretania zephyrinus ordubadi
  • Lycaena alciphron melibeus
  • Lycaena asabinus
  • Lycaena kurdistanica
  • Lycaena ochimus
  • Lycaena phoenicura
  • Lycaena virgaureae armeniaca
  • Lysandra corydonius caucasica
  • Neolysandra coelestina coelestina
  • Neolysandra diana
  • Neozephyrus quercus
  • Phengaris arion zara
  • Phengaris rebeli monticola
  • Plebejus argus bellus
  • Plebejus christophi transcaucasicus
  • Plebejus idas altarmenus
  • Polyommatus alcestis
  • Polyommatus alticola
  • Polyommatus altivagans
  • Polyommatus cyaneus
  • Polyommatus daphnis versicolor
  • Polyommatus demavendi
  • Polyommatus firdussi
  • Polyommatus huberti
  • Polyommatus iphigenia
  • Polyommatus myrrha
  • Polyommatus neglecta
  • Polyommatus surakovi
  • Polyommatus vanensis
  • Pseudophilotes vicrama schiffermuelleri
  • Satyrium spini melantho

Whites and Sulphurs (Pieridae)

  • Berger’s Clouded Yellow (Colias alfacariensis)
  • Black-veined White (Aporia crataegi)
  • Cabbage White (Pieris brassicae)
  • Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus)
  • Dark-veined White (Pieris caucasica)
  • Greek Clouded Butterfly (Colias aurorina)
  • Lesser Bath White (Pontia chloridice)
  • Orange Tip (Anthocharis cardamines)
  • Wood White (Leptidea sinapis)
  • Anthocharis carolinae
  • Anthocharis damone eunomia
  • Anthocharis gruneri armeniaca
  • Colias chlorocoma
  • Colias thisoa
  • Euchloe ausonia taurica
  • Gonepteryx farinosa turcirana
  • Gonepteryx rhamni miljanowskii
  • Pieris bowdeni
  • Pieris ergane detersa
  • Pieris krueperi krueperi
  • Pieris napi pseudorapae
  • Pieris napi suffusa
  • Pieris rapae transcaucasica
  • Pontia callidice chrysidice
  • Pontia edusa edusa
  • Zegris eupheme menestho

Swallowtail (Papilionidae) 

Skipper (Hesperiidae)

  • Aegean Skipper (Pyrgus melotis)
  • Caucasian Skipper (Pyrgus jupei)
  • Cinquefoil Skipper (Pyrgus cirsii)
  • Common Branded Skipper (Hesperia comma comma)
  • Dingy Skipper (Erynnis tages unicolor)
  • Dingy Swift (Gegenes nostrodamus)
  • European Skipper (Thymelicus lineola)
  • Hungaria Skipper (Spialia orbifer)
  • Inky Skipper (Erynnis marloyi)
  • Large Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus alveus)
  • Large Skipper (Ochlodes sylvanus)
  • Levantine Skipper (Thymelicus hyrax)
  • Lulworth Skipper (Thymelicus acteon)
  • Mallow Skipper (Carcharodus alceae)
  • Marbled Skipper (Carcharodus lavatherae)
  • Oberthür’s Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus armoricanus)
  • Olive Skipper (Pyrgus serratulae major)
  • Oriental Skipper (Carcharodus orientalis)
  • Persian Skipper (Spialia phlomidis)
  • Safflower Skipper (Pyrgus carthami)
  • Sandy-grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus cinarae)
  • Small Skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris syriaca)
  • Stauder’s Clouded Yellow (Carcharodus stauderi)
  • Tessellated Skipper (Muschampia tessellum)
  • Tufted Skipper (Carcharodus floccifera)
  • Yellow-banded Skipper (Pyrgus sidae)
  • Eogenes alcides
  • Muschampia poggei
  • Muschampia tersa

There are several places in Armenia worth visiting for a glimpse of their butterfly population, including Jardin Botanico del Quindio, which has a butterfly house called the Mariposario shaped like a butterfly.