Butterflies in Italy

Brush-Footed (Nymphalidae)

• Assmann’s Fritillary (Melitaea britomartis)
• Balkan Fritillary (Boloria graeca)
• Cardinal (Argynnis pandora)
• Comma (Polygonia c-album)
• Cynthia’s Fritillary (Euphydryas cynthia)
• Dark Green Fritillary (Speyeria aglaja)
• Eastern Knapweed Fritillary (Melitaea telona)
• False Heath Fritillary (Melitaea diamina)
• Glanville Fritillary (Melitaea cinxia)
• Grisons Fritillary (Melitaea varia)
• Heath Fritillary (Melitaea athalia)
• High Brown Fritillary (Fabriciana adippe)
• Large Tortoiseshell (Nymphalis polychloros)
• Lesser Marbled Fritillary (Brenthis ino)
• Lesser Spotted Frillitary (Melitaea trivia)
• Lesser Spotted Fritillary (Melitaea aetherie)
• Little Fritillary (Melitaea asteria)
• Map (Araschnia levana)
• Marbled Fritillary (Brenthis daphne)
• Marsh Fritillary (Euphydryas aurinia)
• Meadow Fritillary (Melitaea parthenoides)
• Mourning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa)
• Napaea Fritillary (Boloria napaea)
• Nickerl’s Fritillary (Melitaea aurelia)
• Niobe Fritillary (Fabriciana niobe)
• Ocellate Bog Fritillary (Boloria eunomia)
• Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui)
• Pales Fritillary (Boloria pales)
• Peacock Butterfly (Aglais io)
• Pearl-bordered Fritillary (Boloria euphrosyne)
• Phoebe Fritillary (Melitaea phoebe)
• Provençal fritillary (Melitaea deione)
• Queen of Spain Fritillary (Issoria lathonia)
• Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)
• Scarce Fritillary (Euphydryas maturna)
• Silver-washed Fritillary (Argynnis paphia)
• Small Pearl-Bordered Fritillary (Boloria selene)
• Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae)
• Southern Comma (Polygonia egea)
• Spotted Fritillary (Melitaea didyma)
• Thor’s Fritillary (Boloria thore)
• Titania’s Fritillary (Boloria titania)
• Twin-spot Fritillary (Brenthis hecate)
• Violet Frillitary (Boloria dia)
• Euphydryas intermedia
• Melitaea nevadensis

Gossamer-Winged (Lycaenidae)

• Adonis Blue (Lysandra bellargus)
• Alcon Blue (Phengaris alcon)
• Alpine Argus (Agriades orbitulus)
• Amanda’s Blue (Polyommatus amandus)
• Baton Blue (Pseudophilotes baton)
• Black Hairstreak (Satyrium pruni)
• Blue-spot Hairstreak (Satyrium spini)
• Brown Argus (Aricia agestis)
• Brown Hairstreak (Thecla betulae)
• Chalkhill Blue (Lysandra coridon)
• Chapman’s Blue (Polyommatus thersites)
• Cranberry Blue (Agriades optilete)
• Damon Blue (Polyommatus damon)
• Dorylas Blue (Polyommatus dorylas)
• Eros Blue (Polyommatus eros)
• Escher’s Blue (Polyommatus escheri)
• European Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus)
• False Ilex Hairstreak (Satyrium esculi)
• Furry Blue (Polyommatus dolus)
• Geranium Argus (Eumedonia eumedon)
• Glandon Blue (Agriades glandon)
• Green Hairstreak (Callophrys rubi)
• Green-underside Blue (Glaucopsyche alexis)
• Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus)
• Idas Blue (Plebejus idas)
• Ilex Hairstreak (Satyrium ilicis)
• Iolas Blue (Iolana iolas)
• Lang’s Short-tailed Blue (Leptotes pirithous)
• Large Blue (Phengaris arion)
• Large Copper (Lycaena dispar)
• Lesser Fiery Copper (Lycaena thersamon)
• Long-tailed Blue (Lampides boeticus)
• Mazarine Blue (Cyaniris semiargus)
• Melanops Blue (Glaucopsyche melanops)
• Meleager’s Blue (Polyommatus daphnis)
• Mountain Alcon Blue (Phengaris rebeli)
• Chequered Blue (Scolitantides orion)
• Osiris Blue (Cupido osiris)
• Piedmont Anomalous Blue (Polyommatus humedasae)
• Provençal Short-tailed Blue (Cupido alcetas)
• Provence Chalkhill Blue (Lysandra hispana)
• Purple-edged Copper (Lycaena hippothoe)
• Purple Hairstreak (Neozephyrus quercus)
• Purple-shot Copper (Lycaena alciphron)
• Reverdin’s Blue (Plebejus argyrognomon)
• Ripart’s Anomalous Blue (Polyommatus ripartii)
• Scarce Copper (Lycaena virgaureae)
• Scarce Large Blue (Phengaris teleius)
• Short-tailed Blue (Cupido argiades)
• Silver-studded Blue (Plebejus argus)
• Silvery Argas (Aricia nicias)
• Sloe Hairstreak (Satyrium acaciae)
• Small Blue (Cupido minimus)
• Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas)
• Sooty Copper (Lycaena tityrus)
• Southern Brown Argus (Aricia cramera)
• White-letter Hairstreak (Satyrium w-album)
•  Lycaena subalpina
• Pseudophilotes vicrama schiffermuelleri

Whites and Sulphurs (Pieridae)

• Bath White (Pontia daplidice)
• Berger’s Clouded Yellow (Colias alfacariensis)
• Black-veined White (Aporia crataegi)
• Cabbage White (Pieris brassicae)
• Cleopatra (Gonepteryx cleopatra)
• Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus)
• Common Brimstone (Gonepteryx rhamni)
• Dark-veined White (Pieris bryoniae)
• Eastern Bath White (Pontia edusa)
• Eastern Dappled White (Euchloe ausonia)
• Eastern Orange Tip (Anthocharis damone)
• Green-veined White (Pieris napi)
• Moorland Clouded Yellow (Colias palaeno)
• Mountain Clouded Yellow (Colias phicomone)
• Orange Tip (Anthocharis cardamines)
• Pale Clouded Yellow (Colias hyale)
• Peak White (Pontia callidice)
• Persian White (Pieris ergane)
• Portuguese Dappled White (Euchloe tagis)
• Provance Orange Tip (Anthocharis euphenoides)
• Réal’s Wood White (Leptidea reali)
• Small White, Cabbage White (Pieris rapae)
• Southern Small White (Pieris mannii)
• Western Dappled White (Euchloe crameri)
• Wood White (Leptidea sinapis)

Metalmark (Riodinidae)

• Duke of Burgundy (Hamearis lucina)

Swallowtail (Papilionidae) 

• Scarce Swallowtail (Iphiclides podalirius)
• Alexandra’s Swallowtail (Papilio alexanor)
• Old World Swallowtail (Papilio machaon)
• Corsican Swallowtail (Papilio hospiton)
• Apollo (Parnassius apollo)
• Clouded Apollo (Parnassius mnemosyne)
• Phoebus Apollo (Parnassius phoebus)
• Southern Festoon (Zerynthia polyxena)

Skipper (Hesperiidae)

• Alpine Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus andromedae)
• Carline Skipper (Pyrgus carlinae)
• Chequered Skipper (Carterocephalus palaemon)
• Cinquefoil Skipper (Pyrgus cirsii)
• Dingy Skipper (Erynnis tages)
• Dingy Swift (Gegenes nostrodamus)
• Dusky Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus cacaliae)
• European Skipper (Thymelicus lineola)
• Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus malvae)
• Large Chequered Skipper (Heteropterus morpheus)
• Large Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus alveus)
• Lulworth Skipper (Thymelicus acteon)
• Mallow Skipper (Carcharodus alceae)
• Marbled Skipper (Carcharodus lavatherae)
• Oberthür’s Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus armoricanus)
• Olive Skipper (Pyrgus serratulae)
• Pygmy Skipper (Gegenes pumilio)
• Rozy Grizzled Argus (Pyrgus onopordi)
• Safflower Skipper (Pyrgus carthami)
• Sage Skipper (Muschampia proto)
• Silver-spotted Skipper (Hesperia comma)
• Small Skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris)
• Southern Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus malvoides)
• Southern Marbled Skipper (Carcharodus baeticus)
• Tufted Skipper (Carcharodus floccifera)
• Warren Skipper (Pyrgus warrenensis)
• Yellow-banded Skipper (Pyrgus sidae)
• Large Skipper (Ochlodes sylvanuss)
• Pyrgus bellieri bellieri

Some of Italy’s best places to see butterflies include Oasi Rossi, Bordano Butterfly House, and the Butterfly Arc in Veneto.