Menorca
Menorca or Minorca (from la, Insula Minor, , smaller island, later ''Minorica'') is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain. Its name derives from its size, contrasting it with nearby Majorca. Its capi ...
is a small island in the
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...
belonging to
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
, with a population of approximately 88,000. It is located 39°47' to 40°00'N, 3°52' to 4°24'E. There is good data on the butterflies of Menorca although it is not easy to find as most field guides do not give data on the smaller Mediterranean islands. A good source in English is Butterflies of Menorca which lists 26 species and gives data on flight period and abundance.
Butterflies can be seen in all months of the year but the best months are May to September, the only butterfly not to fly in this period is the green hairstreak which usually flies from February to April, but if the season is late it can be seen into May.
Papilionidae
Swallowtail butterflies are large, colorful butterflies in the family Papilionidae, and include over 550 species. Though the majority are tropical, members of the family inhabit every continent except Antarctica. The family includes the larg ...
Swallowtails
* ''
Papilio machaon
''Papilio machaon'', the Old World swallowtail, is a butterfly of the family Papilionidae. The butterfly is also known as the common yellow swallowtail or simply the swallowtail (a common name applied to all members of the family, but this speci ...
'', swallowtail
Pieridae
The Pieridae are a large family of butterflies with about 76 genera containing about 1,100 species, mostly from tropical Africa and tropical Asia with some varieties in the more northern regions of North America and Eurasia.DeVries P. J. in Le ...
Gonepteryx cleopatra
''Gonepteryx cleopatra'', the Cleopatra or Cleopatra butterfly, is a medium-sized butterfly of the family Pieridae.
Subspecies
The species ''Gonepteryx cleopatra'' is divided into the following ten subspecies:
*''G. c. cleopatra'' (Linnaeus, 1 ...
'', Cleopatra (common)
* ''
Gonepteryx rhamni
''Gonepteryx rhamni'' (known as the common brimstone) is a butterfly of the family Pieridae. It lives throughout the Palearctic zone and is commonly found across Europe, Asia, and North Africa. Across much of its range, it is the only species ...
'', brimstone (rare; very few good records - Brimstones on Menorca maybe scarce migrants from the Spanish mainland but in the field it is hard to tell apart from the very common Cleopatra so it is probably under reported.)
* ''
Leptidea sinapis
''Leptidea sinapis,'' or the wood white butterfly of the family Pieridae, is a small white butterfly that is mainly found in England, Ireland, and Northern Europe. The butterfly has white wings with grey or yellow markings near the center or tip ...
'', wood white (uncommon woodland species)
* ''
Pieris brassicae
''Pieris brassicae'', the large white, also called cabbage butterfly, cabbage white, cabbage moth (erroneously), or in India the large cabbage white, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is a close relative of the small white, ''Pieris ra ...
'', large white
* ''
Pieris rapae
''Pieris rapae'' is a small- to medium-sized butterfly species of the whites-and-yellows family Pieridae. It is known in Europe as the small white, in North America as the cabbage white or cabbage butterfly, on several continents as the small c ...
'', small white
* ''
Pieris napi
The green-veined white (''Pieris napi'') is a butterfly of the family Pieridae.
Appearance and distribution
A circumboreal species widespread across Europe and Asia, including the Indian subcontinent, Japan, the Maghreb and North America. It is ...
Nymphalidae
The Nymphalidae are the largest family of butterflies, with more than 6,000 species distributed throughout most of the world. Belonging to the superfamily Papilionoidea, they are usually medium-sized to large butterflies. Most species have a red ...
Coenonympha pamphilus
The small heath (''Coenonympha pamphilus'') is a butterfly species belonging to the family Nymphalidae, classified within the subfamily Satyrinae (commonly known as "the browns"). It is the smallest butterfly in this subfamily. The small heath ...
'', small heath
* '' Maniola jurtina'', meadow brown (abundant)
* ''
Pararge aegeria
The speckled wood (''Pararge aegeria'') is a butterfly found in and on the borders of woodland areas throughout much of the Palearctic realm. The species is subdivided into multiple subspecies, including ''Pararge aegeria aegeria'', ''Pararge aeg ...
'', speckled wood (abundant - The speckled wood found on Menorca is the ''aegeria'' sub-species which has an orange background colour.)
* ''
Lasiommata megera
''Lasiommata megera'', the wall or wall brown, is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae (subfamily Satyrinae). It is widespread in the Palearctic realm with a large variety of habitats and number of generations a year.
Description
''P. meger ...
'', wall (subspecies ''paramegera'' occurs as well as the nominate form.Tolman. T. & Lewington. R., 2008. ''Collins Butterfly Guide''. Pub. Collins p 320)
* '' Lasiommata maera'', large wall (very rare probably extinct)
* '' Hipparchia semele'', grayling (very rare probably extinct)
* '' Hipparchia statilinus'', tree grayling (very rare probably extinct)
* '' Pyronia cecilia'', southern gatekeeper (common)
Danainae
Danainae is a subfamily of the family Nymphalidae, the brush-footed butterflies. It includes the Daniadae, or milkweed butterflies, who lay their eggs on various milkweeds on which their larvae (caterpillars) feed, as well as the clearwing butt ...
Monarchs
* ''
Danaus chrysippus
''Danaus chrysippus'', also known as the plain tiger, African queen, or African monarch, is a medium-sized butterfly widespread in Asia, Australia and Africa. It belongs to the Danainae subfamily of the brush-footed butterfly family Nymphalidae. ...
'', plain tiger (The plain tiger is a migrant that is sometimes seen on Menorca.)
Nymphalinae
The Nymphalinae are a subfamily of brush-footed butterflies (family Nymphalidae). Sometimes, the subfamilies Limenitidinae, and Biblidinae are included here as subordinate tribe(s), while the tribe Melitaeini is occasionally regarded as a distinc ...
* ''
Vanessa atalanta
''Vanessa atalanta'', the red admiral or, previously, the red admirable, is a well-characterized, medium-sized butterfly with black wings, red bands, and white spots. It has a wingspan of about . It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his ...
'', red admiral
* ''
Vanessa cardui
''Vanessa cardui'' is the most widespread of all butterfly species. It is commonly called the painted lady, or formerly in North America the cosmopolitan.
Description
File:Vanessa cardui MHNT CUT 2013 3 14 Pontfaverger-Moronvilliers Dos. ...
Lycaenidae
Lycaenidae is the second-largest family of butterflies (behind Nymphalidae, brush-footed butterflies), with over 6,000 species worldwide, whose members are also called gossamer-winged butterflies. They constitute about 30% of the known butterf ...
Blues
* ''
Polyommatus icarus
The common blue butterfly or European common blue (''Polyommatus icarus'') is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae and subfamily Polyommatinae. The butterfly is found throughout the Palearctic. Butterflies in the Polyommatinae are collectively c ...
'', common blue (abundant, seen all over the island)
* ''
Lysandra bellargus
The Adonis blue (''Lysandra bellargus'', also known as ''Polyommatus bellargus'') is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. It inhabits the Palearctic realm (Western Europe, Central Europe, Southern Europe, Southern Russia, Iraq, Iran, Caucasus, T ...
'', Adonis blue (uncommon)
* ''
Aricia cramera
''Aricia cramera'', the southern brown argus, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is a butterfly of Southern Europe and North Africa and can be found from Morocco and Tunisia up to Spain and Portugal, on Mediterranean islands including Me ...
'', southern brown argus (fairly common - May be confused with female common blue.)
* '' Celastrina argiolus'', holly blue (common)
* ''
Lampides boeticus
''Lampides boeticus'', the pea blue, or long-tailed blue, is a small butterfly that belongs to the lycaenids or gossamer-winged family.
Etymology
The Latin species name ''boeticus'' refers to Baetica, a province of the Roman Empire in the Iber ...
'', long-tailed blue (local)
* '' Leptotes pirithous'', Lang's short-tailed blue (local)
* ''
Lycaena phlaeas
''Lycaena phlaeas'', the small copper, American copper, or common copper, is a butterfly of the Lycaenids or gossamer-winged butterfly family. According to Guppy and Shepard (2001), its specific name ''phlaeas'' is said to be derived either ...
'', small copper (local)
* ''
Callophrys rubi
The green hairstreak (''Callophrys rubi'') is a small butterfly in the family Lycaenidae.
Etymology
The genus name ''Callophrys'' is a Greek word meaning "beautiful eyebrows", while the species Latin name ''rubi'' derives from ''Rubus'' (brambl ...
'', green hairstreak (flies very early; February to April)
* '' Cacyreus marshalli'', geranium bronze (can be seen year round - The geranium bronze is not a native to Menorca. In 1990 it was introduced, accidentally, to Majorca on imported '' Pelargonium'' from South Africa. The butterflies quickly spread to Menorca and other islands as well as to southern Spain and Italy. They are often seen in gardens on geranium plants.)
Menorca
Menorca or Minorca (from la, Insula Minor, , smaller island, later ''Minorica'') is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain. Its name derives from its size, contrasting it with nearby Majorca. Its capi ...