Butterflies in South Africa

Brush-Footed (Nymphalidae)

• African Map Butterfly (Cyrestis camillus)
• African Ringlet (Ypthima asterope)
• African Snout Butterfly (Libythea labdaca)
• Banded Evening Brown (Gnophodes betsimena)
• Battling Glider (Cymothoe alcimeda)
• Blue Monarch (Tirumala petiverana)
• Blue Pansy (Junonia orithya)
• Common Bush Brown (Bicyclus safitza)
• Common Evening Brown (Melanitis leda)
• Common Joker (Byblia anvatara)
• Common Leopard (Phalanta phalantha)
• Danaid Eggfly (Hypolimnas misippus)
• Dark Blue Pansy (Junonia oenone)
• Eyed Bush Brown (Heteropsis perspicua)
• False Diadem (Pseudacraea lucretia)
• False Wanderer (Pseudacraea eurytus)
• Flame-bordered Emperor (Charaxes protoclea)
• Forest Leopard (Phalanta eurytis)
• Forest Mother-of-pearl (Protogoniomorpha parhassus)
• Friar (Amauris niavius)
• Gaudy Commodore (Precis octavia)
• Giant Emperor (Charaxes castor)
• Golden Piper (Eurytela dryope)
• Granular Ringlet (Ypthima granulosa)
• Guineafowl (Hamanumida daedalus)
• Jordan’s Sailer (Neptis jordani)
• Kiriakoff’s Sailer (Neptis kiriakoffi)
• Marsh Commodore (Precis ceryne)
• Northern Short-tailed Admiral (Vanessa dimorphica)
• Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui)
• Pearl Emperor (Charaxes varanes)
• Plain Tiger (Danaus chrysippus)
• Savannah Charaxes (Charaxes etesipe)
• Soldier Commodore (Junonia terea)
• Spotted Joker (Byblia ilithyia)
• Spotted Sailer (Neptis saclava)
• Two-tailed Pasha (Charaxes jasius)
• Variable Eggfly (Hypolimnas anthedon)
• Wandering Donkey Acraea (Acraea neobule)
• White-barred Emperor (Charaxes brutus)
• Yellow Pansy (Junonia hierta)
• Acraea horta

Gossamer-Winged (Lycaenidae)

• African Babul Blue (Azanus jesous)
• African Grass Blue (Zizeeria knysna)
• African Line Blue (Pseudonacaduba sichela)
• 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 Babul Blue (Azanus moriqua)
• Black-striped Hairtail (Anthene amarah)
• Bright Babul Blue (Azanus ubaldus)
• Brown Playboy (Deudorix antalus)
• Common Bush Blue (Cacyreus lingeus)
• Common Fig-tree Blue (Myrina silenus)
• Common Hairtail (Anthene definita)
• Common Meadow Blue (Cupidopsis cissus)
• Common Smoky Blue (Euchrysops malathana)
• Common Woolly Legs (Lachnocnema bibulus)
• Crawshay’s Hairtail (Anthene crawshayi)
• Cupreous Hairtail (Anthene princeps)
• Eastern Bush Blue (Cacyreus virilis)
• Geranium Bronze (Cacyreus marshalli)
• Grass Jewel (Freyeria trochylus)
• Jeannel’s Blue (Leptotes jeanneli)
• Lang’s Short-tailed Blue (Leptotes pirithous)
• Liodes Hairtail (Anthene liodes)
• Long-tailed Blue (Lampides boeticus)
• Orange Playboy (Deudorix dinomenes)
• Osiris Smoky Blue (Euchrysops osiris)
• Pale Babul Blue (Azanus mirza)
• Pallene Warden (Iolaus pallene)
• Purple-brown Hairstreak (Hypolycaena philippus)
• Rayed Blue (Actizera lucida)
• Short-toothed Blue (Leptotes brevidentatus)
• Southern Pied Woolly Legs (Lachnocnema laches)
• Water Bronze (Cacyreus tespis)
• White-tipped Blue (Eicochrysops hippocrates)

Whites and Sulphurs (Pieridae)

• African Albatross (Appias epaphia)
• African Common White (Belenois creona)
• African Veined White (Belenois gidica)
• African Wood White (Leptosia alcesta)
• Angled Grass Yellow (Eurema desjardinsii)
• Antheap White (Dixeia pigea)
• Autumn-leaf Vagrant (Eronia leda)
• Black-Veined White (Dixeia doxo)
• Buquet’s Vagrant (Nepheronia buquetii)
• Cabbage White (Pieris brassicae)
• Common Evening Brown (Nepheronia argia)
• Common Grass Yellow (Eurema hecabe)
• Crimsontip (Colotis danae)
• Eastern Dotted Border (Mylothris agathina)
• Forest White (Belenois zochalia)
• Lilac Tip (Colotis celimene)
• No-brand Grass-yellow (Eurema brigitta)
• African Migrant (Catopsilia florella)
• Pioneer White (Belenois aurota)
• Queen Purple Tip (Colotis regina)
• Red Tip (Colotis antevippe)
• Sabine Albatross (Appias sabina)
• Small Orange-tip (Colotis evagore)
• Small Salmon Arab (Colotis amata)
• Spiller’s Yellow (Dixeia spilleri)
• Spotted Crimson (Colotis euippe)
• Sulphur Orange Tip (Colotis auxo)
• Vine-leaf Vagrant (Eronia cleodora)

Swallowtail (Papilionidae) 

• Angola White Lady (Graphium angolanus)
• Black Swordtail (Graphium colonna)
• Central Emperor Swallowtail (Papilio echerioides)
• Citrus Swallowtail (Papilio demodocus)
• Coastal Swordtail (Graphium porthaon)
• Common Swordtail (Graphium policenes)
• Emperor Swallowtail (Papilio ophidicephalus)
• Larger Striped Swallowtail (Graphium antheus)
• Mocker Swallowtail (Papilio dardanus)
• Green-banded Swallowtail (Papilio nireus)
• Veined Swordtail (Graphium leonidas)

Skipper (Hesperiidae)

• Axehead Skipper (Acada biseriata)
• Banded Hopper (Platylesches picanini)
• Spotless Policeman (Coeliades libeon)
• Borbo Skipper (Borbo borbonica)
• Bushbev Sandman (Spialia colotes)
• Clouded Skipper (Tagiades flesus)
• Common Dart (Andronymus neander)
• Delagoa Sandman (Spialia delagoae)
• Ferruginous Swift (Borbo ferruginea)
• Forest Policeman (Coeliades forestan)
• Forest Sandman (Spialia dromus)
• Honey Hopper (Platylesches moritili)
• Marbled Skipper (Gomalia elma)
• Marsh Hottentot Skipper (Gegenes hottentota)
• Morant’s Skipper (Parosmodes morantii)
• Motozi Grass Skipper (Sarangesa motozi)
• Mountain Sandman (Spialia spio)
• Netted Sylph (Metisella willemi)
• One-pip Policeman (Coeliades anchises)
• Orange Flat (Sarangesa phidyle)
• Pale Small-branded Swift (Pelopidas thrax)
• Palm-tree Nightfighter (Zophopetes dysmephila)
• Paradise Skipper (Abantis paradisea)
• Pygmy Skipper (Gegenes pumilio)
• Small Branded Swift (Pelopidas mathias)
• Small Hopper (Platylesches tina)
• Small Marbled Elf (Eretis umbra)
• Spotted Velvet Skipper (Abantis tettensis)
• Twin Swift (Borbo gemella)
• Two-pip Policeman (Coeliades pisistratus)
• Veined Skipper (Abantis venosa)
• Wallengren’s Ranger (Kedestes wallengrenii)
• Wandering Sandman (Spialia depauperata)
• Water Watchman (Parnara monasi)
• White Dart (Andronymus caesar)

Some of the best places to see butterflies in South Africa include Port St. Johns, Golden Gate Highlands National Park, Pretoria National Botanical Gardens, iSimangaliso Wetland Park, and Lekgalameetse Nature Reserve.