Butterflies in New Zealand
While there aren’t many butterflies in the island nation of New Zealand, there are surprisingly quite a few endemic species here. These include the New Zealand Red Admiral, the Boulder Copper, and the Butler’s Ringlet.
Butterflies in New Zealand
List of Different Butterfly Species of New Zealand
Brush-Footed (Nymphalidae)
- Australian Painted Lady (Vanessa kershawi)
- Black Mountain Ringlet (Percnodaimon merula)
- Butler’s Ringlet (Erebiola butleri) [endemic]
- Common Tussock (Argyrophenga antipodum) [endemic]
- Dark Tiger (Tirumala hamata)
- Forest Ringlet (Dodonidia helmsii) [endemic]
- Harris’s Tussock (Argyrophenga harrisi) [endemic]
- Janita’s Tussock (Argyrophenga janitae) [endemic]
- Lesser Wanderer (Danaus petilia)
- Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus)
- New Zealand Red Admiral (Vanessa gonerilla) [endemic]
- Yellow Admiral (Vanessa itea)
- Hypolimnas bolina nerina
- Junonia villida calybe
- Melanitis leda bankia
Gossamer-Winged (Lycaenidae)
- Boulder Copper (Lycaena boldenarum) [endemic]
- Common Copper (Lycaena salustius) [endemic]
- Glade Copper (Lycaena feredayi) [endemic]
- Rauparaha’s Copper (Lycaena rauparaha) [endemic]
- Long-tailed Blue (Lampides boeticus)
- Common Grass-blue (Zizina labradus)
- Lesser Grass-blue (Zizina otis)
Whites and Sulphurs (Pieridae)
- Lemon Migrant (Catopsilia pomona)
- Small White (Pieris rapae)
The best place to see butterflies in New Zealand is Butterfly Creek located close to Auckland airport.
