The taxonomy (classification) of butterflies considers a number of characteristics, such as those described in Ford (1945), Higgins (1975), Ackery (1984) and Emmet (1990), including:
The taxonomy of the butterflies of Britain and Ireland as used on this website is defined in Checklist of the Lepidoptera of the British Isles; Agassiz, Beavan & Heckford (2024). The UK Butterflies website builds on this checklist and any differences are noted here. In addition, we include a summary of authorities that first described the taxa in the checklist.
Like its predecessors, Bradley & Fletcher (1979), Bradley (1998) and Bradley (2000), the most recent checklist provides a unique reference for each species, which also implies a sequence, where the more primitive species are listed first. Appendix B of the checklist also lists questionable species (those with the prefix 'B' in the number provided) and these are also included below. However, no relative position within the checklist is given for these, and so one has been provided here.
Sexual dimorphism |
Seasonal dimorphism |
The status of each species is taken from Eeles (2019) and Eeles (2023).
R Resident or Regular Migrant