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Mike Stangeland email & Kim Davis email
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Other valuable Contributors to this website

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Listing of photos on this website with photographer credits (Microsoft Excel format)
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 INTRODUCTION

Scientific names: In the list presented herein, family-, genus-, and species-level names generally follow Lamas (2004), Llorente et al. (in prep.), Opler & Warren (2002, 2005), Warren (2002) and/or Pelham (in press), or recently published studies (e.g., Wahlberg et al. 2005), with very few exceptions.  All cases that differ from these sources, as well as undescribed taxa indicated in the list, will be elaborated upon in future publications currently under preparation by the authors of this list and their colleagues.  Names used herein strictly conform to the mandatory provisions of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN 1999), with one exception.  The provision in the Code requiring agreement in the gender of species-group names (when they are not or do not end in a Latin or Latinized adjective or participle in the nominative singular; see ICZN 1999: 38, article 31.2.1) with that of the genus-group name (ICZN 1999: 38, article 31.2, p. 43, article 34.2) has not been followed.  For a complete discussion of why the application of this provision is impractical and problematical, see Sommerer (2002) and Lamas (2004).  Therefore, in cases where the status of emended names is questionable (see ICZN 1999: 39-43, articles 32 and 33), the original orthography of names is used herein.  Use of the word “Complex” after a species’ name indicates that more than one species is apparently represented by that name, yet relationships of the undescribed taxa remain poorly understood.   

English names: Unlike scientific names, where rules dictated by the ICZN govern the use and application of all names, there are no rules governing the use or application of English, “common,” or “vernacular” names, and such names have no formal taxonomic standing.  In addition, most residents of Mexico speak Spanish or indigenous languages, and have little or no use at all for butterfly names in English.   

In contrast, many non-Spanish speaking eco-tourists, who are largely unfamiliar with the scientific names of most Mexican butterfly species, find English names useful as a preliminary learning aid.  After all, Mexico hosts a bewildering diversity of butterflies!  With over 1827 species, Mexico supports over 10% of the world’s butterfly fauna, making it one of the ten most butterfly-rich countries in the world (see Luis et al. 2003 for more information).  In this context, if English names can help interested tourists to, and residents of, Mexico learn about, communicate more easily about, and better appreciate Mexico’s incredible butterfly resource, they are justified.   

The first attempt to apply English names to Mexican butterfly species, at a regional level, was by Warren & Llorente (1999).  This attempt was followed by an unpublished list of English names for butterflies of northern Mexico, prepared by Paul Opler, Andrew Warren and Wanda Dameron, and widely circulated in the year 2000; many of these names were used by Garwood & Lehman (2005).  Since about 2003, a list of English names has been posted on the NABA-South Texas website, (http://www.naba.org/chapters/nabast/MexEngNames.htm), which includes many novel names for the butterfly fauna of southern Mexico, as well as many names proposed earlier by Warren & Llorente (1999) and Opler et al. (2000, unpublished).  In the present listing, all of these resources have been consulted, in addition to Pyle (1986), Durden (1990, 2003), Miller (1991) and Opler (1998, 1999).  Despite the large number of sources consulted, some new names have been coined.  We have tried to use what we consider to be the “best” available name at this time, and intend to update these names as better names are proposed.  One advantage of the fact that there are no formal rules governing the use of vernacular names of organisms is that they are free to change over time, as better names are thought up.  In that spirit, should users of this list have what they believe is a “better” English name for any of the listed species, they are encouraged to share their ideas with us (contact Andy Warren).  English names listed herein will be updated on a continuous basis.  In time, the English names listed herein may be supplemented with additional names the species is “also known as.”  Also, if users have suggestions for good Spanish vernacular names, please contact Andy Warren.

See References for the Introduction

Important instructions for using the Interactive Listing of Mexican Butterflies:
If a name on the Interactive Listing of Mexican Butterflies is blue and underlined (otherwise known as a hyperlink or link), you can click on the link and you will be directed to a new page with citations for that species, along with photographs of pinned specimens, live adults, caterpillars, eggs and food plants if available.  If a citation name on the species page is hyperlinked, it may be downloaded in PDF format by clicking on it.  The Interactive Listing of Mexican Butterflies page shows the entire 1827 species list.  The columns are in order from left to right: scientific names, common names, notes on distribution, etc., then food plants. This listing will be updated on a near daily basis, so please check back often for updates!

Go to the Interactive Listing of Mexican Butterflies

You will also want to visit the Electronic Reference Library for downloadable scientific papers in PDF format.  This is where you can download the current or archived Interactive Listing of Mexican Butterflies.  Choose the full 1826 species document or separate documents by family in PDF or Excel format

Jump to scientific name:

Jump to common name: