Butterflies

Speckled wood

The list of butterflies seen on Menorca runs to 27 species but a few are historic records where the butterflies only exist in museum colections as mounted specimens and so are unlikely ever to be seen in the wild again. Those that you can see in the wild today is 23 species.

Whites

Clouded Yellow

• Colias crocea, Clouded yellow. Can be common
• Gonepteryx cleopatra, Cleopatra. Common
• Gonepteryx rhamni, Brimstone. Very rare
• Leptidea sinapis, Wood white. Uncommon woodland species.
• Pieris brassicae, Large white.
• Pieris rapae, Small white.
• Pieris napi, Green-veined white.
• Pontia daplidice, Bath white.

Browns

• Coenonympha pamphilus, Small heath.
• Maniola jurtina, Meadow brown. Abundant
• Pararge aegeria, Speckled wood. Abundant. The Speckled wood found on Menorca is the aegeria sub-species which has an orange background colour.
• Lasiommata megera, Wall. Subspecies paramegera occurs as well as the nominate form.
• Lasiommata maera, Large Wall. Very rare maybe extinct
• Hipparchia semele, Grayling. Very rare maybe extinct
• Hipparchia statilinus, Tree grayling. Very rare maybe extinct
• Pyronia cecilia, Southern gatekeeper. Common

Monachs

• Danaus chrysippus, Plain Tiger.

The plain tiger is a migrant that is sometimes seen on Menorca.


Blues.

• Polyommatus icarus, Common blue. Abundant, seen all over the island.
• Polyommatus bellargus, Adonis blue. Uncommon.
• Aricia cramera, Southern brown argus. Fairly common, may be confused with female common blue.
• Celastrina argiolus, Holly blue. Common
• Lampides boeticus, Long-tailed blue. Local
• Leptotes pirithous, Lang's short-tailed blue. Local
• Lycaena phlaeas, Small copper. Local.

Geranium Bronze sitting on a geranium leaf, Cala Alcaufa, Menorca

• Callophrys rubi, Green hairstreak. Flies very early; February to April.
• Cacyreus marshalli, Geranium bronze. Can be seen all year round.

The Geranium bronze is not a native to Minorca. In 1990 was introduced, accidentally, to Majorca on imported Pelargonium from South Africa. The butterflies quickly spread to Minorca and other islands as well as to southern Spain and Italy. They are often seen in gardens on geranium plants.

Photes of many of Menorcas butterflies and other wildlife can be found on the Flikr group   of Menorcan Wildlife