The following is a list of the butterflies of India.
India has extremely diverse terrain, climate and vegetation, which comprises extremes of heat and cold, desert and jungle, of low-lying plains and the highest mountains, of dryness and dampness, islands and continental areas, widely varying flora, and sharply marked seasons. India forms a large part of the Indomalayan biogeographical zone; many of the floral and faunal forms show Malayan affinities with some taxa being unique to the Indian region. In addition, India hosts three of the world's biodiversity hotspots: the Western Ghats, the Himalayas, and the hilly ranges bordering India and Myanmar, each having numerous endemic species. Accordingly, India's diverse and varied fauna include a rich variety of butterflies and moths. Brigadier William Harry Evans recorded approximately 1439 species of butterfly from British India, including Ceylon and Burma. After 1947, the rise of several new nations led to a reduction of the area forming part of India proper, and the number of species has been noted to be 1412 species.
Many papers and books have been written on Indian butterflies, some of the most famous are the Synoptic Catalogue of the Butterflies of India and The Book of Indian Butterflies.
Here is a key to the terms used in this list-
Endemic: Endemic species are species found only in a particular region, in this case, India. Schedule 1: This is used on all species under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act (Amendment 2022). Schedule 2: This is used on all species under Schedule 2 of the Wildlife Protection Act (Amendment 2022).
History of studies on butterflies in India The first book to deal with Indian butterflies was The Butterflies of India, Burmah and Ceylon by Lionel de Nicéville and G. F. L. Marshall, followed shortly after with Lepidoptera Indica by Frederic Moore.
From the 1920 to the 1960s, two major books on Indian butterflies were published. These were The Identification of Indian Butterflies by William Harry Evans and Butterflies of the Indian Region by Mark Alexander Wynter-Blyth.
In recent times, field guides like Butterflies of India by Isaac Kehimkar and A Naturalist's Guide to the Butterflies of India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka by Peter Smetacek helped in spreading popularity on butterfly watching and identification.
The Synoptic Catalogue of the Butterflies of India by R. K. Varshney and Peter Smetacek provided the first complete list of the butterflies found in India.
Papilionidae The Papilionidae or the swallowtail butterflies are a family of about 550 species. Many species show sexual dimorphism. Males of this family are attracted to wet mud (this behavior is called mud-puddling). The swallowtail butterflies have three well-developed pairs of legs and the abdomen is not covered by the wing. There are 96 species of this family found in India.
Papilioninae
Troidini +Common nameBinomial nameSubspecies (in India) CommentsCommon clubtailLosaria doubledayi2Schedule 1Andaman clubtailLosaria rhodiferEndemicCommon rosePachliopta aristolochiae5Crimson rosePachliopta hectorSchedule 2Malabar rosePachliopta pandiyanaEndemicGolden birdwingTroides aeacus1Schedule 2Common birdwingTroides helena3Southern birdwingTroides minosSchedule 2, EndemicLesser batwingAtrophaneura aidoneusCommon batwingAtrophaneura astorion1Black windmillByasa crassipesSchedule 1Great windmillByasa dasarada2Rose windmillByasa latreillei2Schedule 2Nevill's windmillByasa nevilliSchedule 1Chinese windmillByasa plutonius2Schedule 1, Schedule 2De Nicéville's windmillByasa pollaSchedule 1Common windmillByasa polyeuctes2
Papilionini +Common nameBinomial nameSubspecies (in India)CommentsGrand mormonPapilio agenor3Schedule 2Tawny mimePapilio agestor2RedbreastPapilio alcmenor1Blue peacockPapilio arcturus2Chinese peacockPapilio bianor2Tailed redbreastPapilio bootes2Schedule 2Malabar banded peacockPapilio buddhaSchedule 2, EndemicCommon ravenPapilio castor2Yellow helenPapilio chaon1Common mimePapilio clytia2Schedule 2Common banded peacockPapilio crinoSchedule 2Indian helenPapilio daksha1Lime swallowtailPapilio demoleus1Malabar ravenPapilio dravidarumEndemicYellow-crested spanglePapilio elephenorSchedule 1Lesser mimePapilio epycides1Schedule 2Everest yellow swallowtailPapilio everesti1Red helenPapilio helenus1Western tailed redbreastPapilio janakaKrishna peacockPapilio krishna2Schedule 1Malabar banded swallowtailPapilio liomedonSchedule 1, EndemicCommon yellow swallowtailPapilio machaon3Schedule 2Great mormonPapilio memnon1Noble's helenPapilio nobleiGreen-banded peacockPapilio palinurus1A vagrant to West BengalGreat blue mimePapilio paradoxa1Schedule 2Paris peacockPapilio paris2Common peacockPapilio polyctorCommon mormonPapilio polytes3Blue helenPapilio prexaspes1SpanglePapilio protenor1Blue-striped mimePapilio slateri1Schedule 2Eastern yellow swallowtailPapilio verityiChinese yellow swallowtailPapilio xuthusBrown gorgonMeandrusa lachinus1Schedule 2Yellow gorgonMeandrusa payeni1
Leptocircini +Common nameBinomial nameSubspecies (in India)CommentsTailed jayGraphium agamemnon5Fourbar swallowtailGraphium agetes1Schedule 2Scarce jayGraphium albociliatusSchedule 2Fivebar swordtailGraphium antiphates2Chain swordtailGraphium aristeus1Schedule 2Spotted jayGraphium aryclesSchedule 2Veined jayGraphium chironides1Glassy bluebottleGraphium cloanthus1Schedule 2Common jayGraphium doson2Andaman swordtailGraphium epaminondasEndemicSixbar swordtailGraphium eurous2Great jayGraphium eurypylus2Schedule 2Western spectacle swordtailGraphium garhwalicaLesser zebraGraphium macareus2Spotted zebraGraphium megarus1Schedule 2Spot swordtailGraphium nomius2Indian spectacle swordtailGraphium paphusCommon bluebottleGraphium sarpedon1Cryptic bluebottleGraphium septentrionicolusSouthern bluebottleGraphium teredonGreat zebraGraphium xenocles2White dragontailLamproptera curius1Green dragontailLamproptera meges1Schedule 2
Teinopalpini +Common nameBinomial nameSubspecies (in India)CommentsKaiser-i-hindTeinopalpus imperialis2Schedule 1
Parnassiinae
Sericinini +Common nameBinomial nameSubspecies (in India)CommentsBhutan gloryBhutanitis lidderdalii1Schedule 1Ludlow's Bhutan gloryBhutanitis ludlowiSchedule 1
Parnassiini +Common nameBinomial nameSubspecies (in India)CommentsVarnished apolloParnassius acco4Schedule 1Dusky apolloParnassius acdestis4Scarce red apolloParnassius actius3Noble apolloParnassius augustusRegal apolloParnassius charltonius9Schedule 2Common red apolloParnassius epaphus9Schedule 2Common blue apolloParnassius hardwickiiKarakoram banded apolloParnassius hunza2Keeled apolloParnassius jacquemontii5Schedule 2Himalayan banded apolloParnassius kumaonensis2P. nandadevinensis is merged here.Stately apolloParnassius loxias1Royal apolloParnassius maharaja1Scarce banded apolloParnassius mamaievi3Black-edged apolloParnassius simo7Greater banded apolloParnassius stenosemus6Lesser banded apolloParnassius stoliczkanus5Schedule 1Large keeled apolloParnassius tianshanica1
Hesperiidae The Hesperiidae or the skipper butterflies are a family of about 3500 species. Many members of this family are hard to distinguish from each other and require dissection to properly identify. They are called "skippers" due to their quick and darting flights. There are 293 species of this family found in India.
Coeliadinae +Common nameBinomial nameSubspecies (in India)CommentsBrown awlBadamia exclamationisIndian awlkingChoaspes benjaminii2Hooded awlkingChoaspes furcataBranded awlkingChoaspes stigmata1Similar awlkingChoaspes xanthopogon1Slate awletBibasis mahinthaOrange-tailed awletBibasis sena1Schedule 2Small green awletBurara amaraPlain orange awletBurara anadiGreat orange awletBurara etelkaPale green awletBurara gomata2Orange striped awletBurara harisa2Common orange awletBurara jaina3Branded orange awletBurara oedipodea1Green awletBurara vasutanaSlate awlHasora anura1Common awlHasora badra1Common banded awlHasora chromus1Purple awlHasora dandaLarge banded awlHasora khoda1Violet awlHasora leucospilaGreen awlHasora salangaYellow banded awlHasora schoenherr1White-banded awlHasora taminatus4Plain banded awlHasora vitta2
Eudaminae
Eudamini +Common nameBinomial nameSubspecies (in India)CommentsMarbled flatLobocla liliana3
Tagiadinae
Celaenorrhinini Common nameBinomial nameSubspecies (in India)CommentsCommon small flatSarangesa dasahara4Spotted small flatSarangesa purendra4Fulvous pied flatPseudocoladenia danIndented pied flatPseudocoladenia fabiaWest Himalayan pied flatPseudocoladenia fatihSikkim pied flatPseudocoladenia fatuaNaga pied flatPseudocoladenia festaKhasi yellow-banded flatCelaenorrhinus affinisMalabar flatCelaenorrhinus ambareesaEndemicAndaman yellow-banded flatCelaenorrhinus andamanicus2White-banded flatCelaenorrhinus asmara1Large-streaked flatCelaenorrhinus aspersa1Scarce banded flatCelaenorrhinus badiaHimalayan yellow-banded flatCelaenorrhinus dhanada1Buxa flatCelaenorrhinus flavocinctaCommon spotted flatCelaenorrhinus leucoceraEvans' spotted flatCelaenorrhinus morenaHimalayan spotted flatCelaenorrhinus munda2Small banded flatCelaenorrhinus nigricans1Large-spotted flatCelaenorrhinus patulaMussoorie spotted flatCelaenorrhinus pero2De Nicéville's spotted flatCelaenorrhinus plagiferaMulti-spotted flatCelaenorrhinus pulomaya1Bengal spotted flatCelaenorrhinus putra1Double-spotted flatCelaenorrhinus pyrrhaTytler's multi-spotted flatCelaenorrhinus ratna2Tamil spotted flatCelaenorrhinus ruficornis1Moore's spotted flatCelaenorrhinus sumitraTibet flatCelaenorrhinus tibetanaSwinhoe's flatCelaenorrhinus zeaDark yellow-banded flatAurivittia aurivittia
Tagiadini Common nameBinomial nameSubspecies (in India)CommentsSpotted angleAbaratha agama1Alida angleAbaratha alida3Chestnut angleAbaratha angulata1Golden angleAbaratha ransonnetii1Snowy angleDarpa dealbataHairy angleDarpa hanriaStriated angleDarpa striata1Zigzag flatOdina decoratusTiny angleTapena minisculaMultispot angleTapena multiguttataBlack angleTapena thwaitesi1Tawny angleTapena vasava1Common yellow-breast flatGerosis bhagava2Dusky yellow-breast flatGerosis phisara1White yellow-breast flatGerosis sinica1Striped snow flatTagiades cohaerens1Large snow flatTagiades gana3Common snow flatTagiades japetus6Water snow flatTagiades litigiosa2Spotted snow flatTagiades menaka1Straight snow flatTagiades parra1Striped dawnflyCapila jayadevaLidderdale's dawnflyCapila lidderdaliFringed dawnflyCapila penicillatum1Fulvous dawnflyCapila phanaeus2White dawnflyCapila pieridoides1Pale striped dawnflyCapila zennaraBrown pied flatColadenia agni1Elwes' pied flatColadenia agnioidesTricolor pied flatColadenia indrani3Grey pied flatColadenia laxmi1Large-spot pied flatColadenia pinsbukana1Large white flatSatarupa gopala1Splendid white flatSatarupa splendensTytler's white flatSatarupa zulla1Himalayan white flatSeseria dohertyi1Sikkim white flatSeseria sambara1Crenulate orange flatPintara tabricaYellow flatMooreana trichoneura1Velvet flatCharmion ficulnea1
Pyrginae
Carcharodini Common nameBinomial nameSubspecies (in India)CommentsDesert skipperSpialia doris1Indian skipperSpialia galba1Greenish skipperSpialia orbifer1Brick-red skipperSpialia rubicundaZebra skipperSpialia zebra1African grizzled skipperGomalia elma1Plain marbled skipperCarcharodus alceae1Tufted marbled skipperCarcharodus dravira Pyrgini Common nameBinomial nameSubspecies (in India)CommentsMountain skipperPyrgus alpinus1Kashmir skipperPyrgus cashmirensis2Darwaz skipperPyrgus darwazicus1
Erynnini Common nameBinomial nameSubspecies (in India)CommentsInky duskywingErynnis pathanFrosted duskywingErynnis pelias1
Chamundinae Common nameBinomial nameSubspecies (in India)CommentsOlive flatChamunda chamunda
Heteropterinae Common nameBinomial nameSubspecies (in India)CommentsOrange-and-silver hopperCarterocephalus avanti1
Barcinae Common nameBinomial nameSubspecies (in India)CommentsGiant hopperApostictopterus fuliginosus1