List of butterflies of Trinidad and Tobago
List of the butterfly species of Trinidad and Tobago, an island nation located in the Caribbean region off the northeast coast of South America.
The combined efforts of generations of resident and visiting naturalists have helped to make the butterfly fauna of Tobago well known. Some 129 species have been recorded on the island of Tobago that has a land area of only 300 km2 (116 mi2) and is approximately 42 km long and 10 km wide.
This list follows Malcolm Barcant (1970) who is the main source of information on the butterflies of Tobago.[1] His book is no longer in print, but used copies are available at booksellers. Barcant gives each species an English common name, but many of these were never taken up. Barcant's English name and the more widely accepted English name are given in the list below. Since 1970 many of the Latin names used by Barcant have also changed. The 2004 catalog of Lamas was used to update the taxonomy.[2]
There is little data on the seasonal distribution or abundance of the listed butterflies. In general, butterflies are more abundant in the wet season. However, in the dry season, when most people visit, and especially if the dry season is a wet one, there are many whites/yellows on the wing. These are hard to identify without capture. Other butterflies commonly seen in the dry season in the south west of the island are the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus), the white peacock (Anartia jatrophe), the brown peacock (Anartia amathea), the West Indian buckeye (Junonia evarete) and the red rim (Biblis hyperia). Away from the flat south west towards Arnos Vale, there are many other butterflies to be found, including skippers and blues and the blue tinted handkerchief (). In the rain forest, on the main ridge, butterflies are quite scarce at this time of year.
Papilionidae, swallowtails[]
- Battus polydamas, black page or gold rim
- Papilio androgeus, Androgeus, queen page or queen swallowtail
- Parides neophilus parianus, spear-winged cattleheart
Pieridae, whites and yellows[]
- Aphrissa statira, yellow migrant
- Phoebis sennae sennae, cloudless sulphur
- Phoebis argante, apricot
- Phoebis philea, orange-barred sulphur
- Anteos maerula, yellow angled sulphur or gonatryx
- Pyrisitia proterpia, tailed orange or little jaune (called Eureme proerpia by Barcant)
- Eurema albula, ghost yellow or small white
- , little yellow
- Eurema leuce, small yellow
- , small banded yellow
- , jagged-edged yellow (called Eureme gratiosa by Barcant)
- Appias drusilla, pure white
- Ascia monuste, cabbage white
Nymphalidae, four-footed butterflies[]
Their taxonomy is currently being revised.
Satyrinae, browns[]
- , echo satyr
- Taygetis laches
- Hermeuptychia hermes
- , Penelope's satyr
- , Butler's satyr
Danainae[]
- Danaus plexippus, monarch butterfly
Ithomiinae[]
- , small rare blue transparent (called P. amandes by Barcant)
- , blue transparent
- , rare blue transparent
Heliconiinae, longwing butterflies[]
- Heliconius melpomene tessa, postman
- Heliconius erato tobagoensis, small postman or red postman
- Heliconius ethilla, ethilia longwing
- Eueides aliphera, small flambeau (called Heliconius aliphera by Barcant)
- Eueides isabella, Isabella's heliconian
- Dryas iulia, flambeau or Julia butterfly (called Calaenis iulia by Barcant)
- Agraulis vanillae, silver spotted flambeau or Gulf fritillary
Limenitidinae, admirals[]
- Adelpha iphiclus, Iphiclus sister
Nymphalinae[]
- Hypanartia lethe, orange admiral
- Hypolimnas misippus, Danaid eggfly
- Anartia jatrophae jatrophae, white peacock
- Anartia amathea, scarlet peacock
- Junonia evarete evarete, West Indian buckeye
Biblidinae[]
- , blue tinted handkerchief
- , large dynamine
- Hamadryas februa, grey cracker
- Mestra hypermestra, grey handkerchief
- Biblis hyperia, red rim
- Vanessa cardui, painted lady
- Marpesia petreus, ruddy daggerwing or tailed flambeau
- Historis odius, grape shoemaker
- Diaethria clymena, Cramer's eighty-eight
Charaxinae[]
- , silver king shoemaker (called Prepona antimache by Barcant)
- Prepona laertes, purple king shoemaker
Morphinae[]
Morphini, morphos[]
- Morpho peleides, morpho butterfly (called emperor butterfly by Barcant)
Brassolini, owl butterflies[]
- Caligo eurilochus, owl butterfly or forest blue mort
- Caligo teucer, owl butterfly or cocoa blue mort
Riodinidae, metalmarks[]
- , grey nymph
- , gold drop
- , underleaf (maybe the same species as )
- , orange-tipped underleaf
- , red devil
- Lasaia agesilas, shining blue lasaia or green lasaia
- , black-speckled emesis
- , small brown emesis
- , orange theope
- , cream theope or blue-based theope
- , blue transparent
- , variable lemmark or brown and cream nymula
Lycaenidae, blues[]
- Hemiargus hanno, common blue
- Leptotes cassius, Cassius blue, tropical striped blue or meadow blue
- (called Leptotes faunalia by Barcant)
- Strymon bubastus (called Leptotes bubastus by Barcant)
- ,
- Ministrymon echion, four-spotted hairstreak or red-spotted hairstreak (called Leptotes bubastus by Barcant)
- (maybe the same species as C. isobeon, the dusty blue hairstreak)
- , brick-spotted blue
- , violet-tinted hairstreak
- , large green hairstreak
- , silver-banded hairstreak
- Rekoa palegon, gold-bordered hairstreak or slated hairstreak
- Rekoa zebina, Zebina hairstreak or double-spotted slate wing (called Thecla zebiina by Barcant)
- Pseudolycaena marsyas, Cambridge blue or giant hairstreak
Hesperiidae, skippers[]
- , long-tailed skipper
- Eudamus dorantes
- Polites vibex praeceps, whirlabout
- Hesperia syrichtus
- Hylephila phyleus, fiery skipper
- Calpodes ethlius
- Carystus phorcus
- pericles
- , Fridericus spreadwing
- orca, orca skipper
- punctata
- Urbanus procne, brown longtail
Hedylidae[]
The moth butterflies were not recorded.
References[]
- Barcant, M. (1970). Butterflies of Trinidad and Tobago. Collins, London.
- Lamas, G. (Ed.). (2004). Checklist: Part 4A. Hesperioidea-Papilionoidea. Gainesville, Florida: Association for Tropical Lepidoptera. ISBN 0-945417-28-4
- Insects of Trinidad and Tobago
- Lists of biota of Trinidad and Tobago
- Butterflies of the Caribbean
- Butterflies of South America
- Butterflies by country
- Lists of butterflies of South America