According to the latest IUCN update, there are over 178,000 species of butterflies and moths in the world, 18,000 species of butterflies and 160,000 species of moths, with wingspans ranging from 1 centimeter, of the Brephidium exilis[1] to 31 centimeters of the Ornithoptera alexandrae concerning butterflies, and from 3 centimeters of Nepticulidae to 31 centimeters of Attacus atlas concerning moths[2], they are part of the Lepidoptera order! Butterflies and moths live 30 days on average, but there are also butterflies and moths that only live for two days to some that can reach up to a year[3].
We are only aware of a small proportion of the species, and new species are being frequently discovered, however many face a multitude of threats which are leading many on a path towards extinction. Habitat loss is one of the leading causes of butterfly and moth species decline. A recent study published in the journal of Biological Conservation on 2019 estimates that butterfly populations suffered a decline of 53% in the last decade[4]. In 20 years for example, the population of the Western Monarch butterfly declined by 99.9%, and during their last great migration in 2020 only about 2000 individuals were found to have taken part, representing a miniscule 0.01% of the historic size.[5]

[1] Giulio Doremi Blog: https://gdoremi.altervista.org/blog/le-ali-piu-piccole-del-mondo-lepidotteri/

[2] Giulio Doremi Blog: https://gdoremi.altervista.org/blog/dimensioni-guinness-world-record-degli-insetti-simili/

[3] North America Butterfly Association: https://www.naba.org/qanda.html

[4] Biological Conservation journal: https://vajiramias.com/current-affairs/insect-population-decline/5c7228b01d5def712e4e05dd/

[5] Xerces Society: https://xerces.org/western-monarch-call-to-action

Global Census Butterflies Map

Thanks to your help, since the launch of the Global Butterflies’ Census in January 2021, we have receive 2269 pictures of butterflies and moths’ species, from 38 countries in the World.

Morpho peleides – Blue morpho butterfly by Rossella Sonzogni 04-01-2024 Morpho peleides, known as the blue morpho butterfly, is a tropical iridescent insect found in Mexico, Central America, North America, Paraguay and Trinidad. The …

Battus lycidas – Nandayure – Costa Rica by Roshan Tailor 21-12-2022 Species of papilionid present in the Neotropics especially in Central America. It has beautiful and characteristic bluish iridescent shades on a dark background …

Eantis thraso – Sickle winged skipper – Bosque Escondido – Costa Rica by Bill Boteler 28-11-2022 Butterfly of the Hesperiidae family, present in Central America and north-western South America, very elusive due to its dependence on the dense rainforest. It …

Marpesia chiron – Many banded daggerwing – Bosque Escondido – Costa Rica by Bill Boteler 28-11-2022 Long-tailed nymphalid found from Central America to northern South America. It inhabits rainforests and feeds on nectar, ripe fruit, and minerals near streams.

Junonia orithya – Blue pansy – Plateaux departement – Congo by LGETA 19-07-2022 African nymphalid with many subspecies. It has a nice indigo with black undertones and colored ocelli. The larva feeds on many different plants, and the adults …

Chrysocrambus sp. – Avaglio – Italy by Barbara Bianchi 05-07-2022 Moth of the Crambidae family of Palearctic origin and with a pale yellow livery with brown vertical lines. It is found in fields cultivated by Fabaceae whose ro …