Butterflies in Kenya

Brush-Footed (Nymphalidae)

• African Pansy (Junonia artaxia)
• African Ringlet (Ypthima asterope)
• Air Commodore (Precis actia)
• Blue Diadem (Hypolimnas salmacis)
• Bonasia Acraea (Acraea baxteri philos)
• Common Club-dot Sailer (Neptis agouale)
• Common Forest Queen (Charaxes eurinome)
• Eastern Musanga Acraea (Acraea excelsior)
• Falcate Red Charaxes (Charaxes paphianus)
• Golden Piper (Eurytela dryope)
• Jordan’s Sailer (Neptis jordani)
• Kiriakoff’s Sailer (Neptis kiriakoffi)
• Large Spotted Acraea (Acraea zetes)
• Le Doux’s Glassy Acraea (Acraea endoscota)
• Lesser Rock Bush Brown (Bicyclus milyas)
• Nemetes Sailer (Neptis nemetes)
• Northern Short-tailed Admiral (Vanessa dimorphica)
• Pearl Emperor (Charaxes varanes)
• Rock Bush Brown (Bicyclus pavonis)
• Savanna Demon Charaxes (Charaxes viola)
• Scarce Commander (Euryphura isuka)
• Sophus Forester (Bebearia sophus)
• Startled Bush Brown (Bicyclus angulosa)
• Straw-coloured Acraea (Acraea rangatana ecketti)
• Sykes’ Acraea (Acraea pudorella)
• Two-tailed Pasha (Charaxes jasius)
• Wandering Donkey Acraea (Acraea neobule)
• Wild-bamboo Charaxes (Charaxes macclounii)

Gossamer-Winged (Lycaenidae)

• Antanossa Blue (Zizina antanossa)
• Apricot Playboy (Deudorix dinochares)
• Ashen Smoky Blue (Euchrysops subpallida)
• Barker’s Smoky Blue (Euchrysops barkeri)
• Black Heart (Uranothauma nubifer)
• Black-bordered Zebra Blue (Leptotes marginalis)
• Black-striped Hairtail (Anthene amarah)
• Blotched Ciliate Blue (Anthene lamias)
• Bright Babul Blue (Azanus ubaldus)
• Capronnier’s Cupid (Euchrysops albistriata)
• Checkered Gem (Zeritis neriene)
• Common Smoky Blue (Euchrysops malathana)
• Common Woolly Legs (Lachnocnema bibulus)
• Dark Line Blue (Pseudonacaduba aethiops)
• Desert Blue (Euchrysops nilotica)
• Divergent Woolly Legs (Lachnocnema divergens)
• Eastern Bath White (Tarucus theophrastus)
• Eastern Green-streaked Playboy (Pilodeudorix congoana)
• False Hairtail (Anthene nigeriae)
• Grass Jewel (Freyeria trochylus)
• Güssfeldt’s Blue (Oboronia guessfeldti)
• Iasis Sapphire (Iolaus iasis)
• Indigo Ciliate Blue (Anthene rubricinctus)
• Jeannel’s Blue (Leptotes jeanneli)
• Le Gras’ Pierrot (Tarucus legrasi)
• Light Branded Blue (Uranothauma heritsia)
• Lilac Giant Cupid (Lepidochrysops polydialecta)
• Mau Blue (Euchrysops mauensis)
• Mediterranean Pierrot (Tarucus rosacea)
• Mylothrid Pentila (Pentila tachyroides)
• Osiris Smoky Blue (Euchrysops osiris)
• Pallene Warden (Iolaus pallene)
• Pied Blue (Phlyaria cyara)
• Pollux Sapphire (Iolaus pollux)
• Pomegranate Playboy (Deudorix livia)
• Purple-brown Hairstreak (Hypolycaena philippus)
• Rayed Blue (Actizera lucida)
• Red Harlequin (Mimeresia dinora)
• Saharan Silverline (Cigaritis nilus)
• Short-toothed Blue (Leptotes brevidentatus)
• Small Green Sapphire (Iolaus catori)
• Tufted Green-streaked Playboy (Pilodeudorix camerona)
• Unexpected Tiger Blue (Hewitsonia inexpectata)
• Ungemach’s Pierrot (Tarucus ungemachi)
• Water Bronze (Cacyreus tespis)
• Western Woolly Legs (Lachnocnema vuattouxi)
• Wilson’s Hairtail (Anthene wilsoni)

Whites and Sulphurs (Pieridae)

• African Golden Arab (Colotis aurigineus)
• Antheap White (Dixeia pigea)
• Autumn-leaf Vagrant (Eronia leda)
• Buquet’s Vagrant (Nepheronia buquetii)
• Desert White (Pontia glauconome)
• Eastern Dotted Border (Mylothris agathina)
• Forest White (Belenois zochalia)
• Golden Arab-tip (Colotis chrysonome)
• Golden Tip (Colotis hildebrandtii)
• Last’s Albatross (Appias lasti)
• Lilac Tip (Colotis celimene)
• No Patch Tip (Colotis venosa)
• Queen Purple Tip (Colotis regina)
• Rogers’ Orange Tip (Colotis rogersi)
• Schumann’s Dotted Border (Mylothris schumanni)
• Small Meadow White (Pontia distorta)
• Small Orange Tip (Colotis evagore antigone)
• Spiller’s Yellow (Dixeia spilleri)
• Sulphur Orange Tip (Colotis auxo)
• Yellow Orange Tip (Colotis incretus)
• Yellow Splendour Tip (Colotis protomedia)
• Colotis aurora evarne
• Colotis danae eupompe
• Mylothris kilimensis
• Pontia helice johnstonii

Swallowtail (Papilionidae) 

• Black Swordtail (Graphium colonna)
• Constantine’s Swallowtail (Papilio constantinus)
• Central Emperor Swallowtail (Papilio lormieri)
• Larger Striped Swallowtail (Graphium antheus)
• Mimetic Swallowtail (Papilio cynorta)
• Broad Green-banded Swallowtail (Papilio chrapkowskii)
• Hornimans Green-banded Swallowtail (Papilio hornimani)
• Emperor Swallowtail (Papilio ophidicephalus)
• Kirby’s Swordtail (Graphium kirbyi)
• Dancing Swordtail (Graphium polistratus)

Skipper (Hesperiidae)

• Aden Skipper (Spialia doris)
• Arabian Grizzled Skipper (Spialia mangana)
• Arela Dart (Semalea arela)
• Axehead Skipper (Acada biseriata)
• Beautiful Swift (Willema formosus)
• Branded Dwarf Skipper (Prosopalpus saga)
• Coast Policeman (Coeliades sejuncta)
• Common Dart (Andronymus neander)
• Common White-spots (Osmodes thora)
• Delagoa Sandman (Spialia delagoae)
• Evan’s Recluse (Leona halma)
• Fanta Swift (Borbo fanta)
• Ferruginous Swift (Borbo ferruginea)
• Golden Sylph (Metisella midas)
• Hanno’s Policeman (Coeliades hanno)
• Herilus Orange (Teniorhinus herilus)
• Honey Hopper (Platylesches moritili)
• Johnston’s Ranger (Gorgyra johnstoni)
• Kitui Grizzled Skipper (Spialia kituina)
• Marbled Skipper (Gomalia elma)
• Minimal Leaf Sitter (Gorgyra minima)
• Morant’s Skipper (Parosmodes morantii)
• Netted Sylph (Metisella willemi)
• Noble Nightfighter (Zophopetes nobilior)
• One-pip Policeman (Coeliades anchises)
• Orange Flat (Sarangesa phidyle)
• Pale Ranger (Dotta callicles)
• Paradise Skipper (Abantis paradisea)
• Purple Flat (Eagris decastigma)
• Riverine Ranger (Ampittia capenas)
• Small Hopper (Platylesches tina)
• Small Marbled Elf (Eretis umbra)
• Spangled Sylph (Astictopterus stellata)
• Spotted Velvet Skipper (Abantis tettensis)
• Two-pip Policeman (Coeliades pisistratus)
• Veined Skipper (Abantis venosa)
• Wallengren’s Ranger (Kedestes wallengrenii)
• Wandering Sandman (Spialia depauperata)
• Western Ragged Skipper (Caprona adelica)
• White-bodied Grass Skipper (Monza cretacea)
• Wreford’s Grizzled Skipper (Spialia wrefordi)
• Abantis meru
• Artitropa reducta
• Celaenorrhinus handmani
• Celaenorrhinus lourentis
• Ceratrichia semlikensis
• Chondrolepis telisignata
• Gorgyra diva
• Gorgyra subflavidus
• Kedestes brunneostriga
• Kedestes nancy
• Kedestes rogersi
• Leucochitonea hindei
• Sarangesa princei

Some of the best places to see Kenya’s butterflies are the Kipepeo Butterfly House, the Mombasa Butterfly House, and the Nairobi Butterfly Centre.