Pakistan has a high diversity of biomes and landscapes, from the Floodplains of the Indus River consisting of xeric shrublands and tropical dry broadleaf forests to the dry western areas of the Iranian plateau and ranges like the Safed Koh, Hindu Kush, Ras Koh Range, as well as the Himalayas up north consisting of subtropical moist broadleaf forests, subtropical coniferous forests, temperate coniferous forest, temperate broadleaf and mixed forests and up to the Northwestern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows, further up are the Karakoram, Pamir, upper slopes of the Hindu Kush and the Tibetan plateau forming Alpine steppe and tundra. All of this paired with two Biodiversity hotspots (Himalayas and Mountains of Central Asia) result in an incredibly high diversity with both the Indomalayan and Palearctic realms.
There are thought to be over 400 species of butterfly in the country.Diversity and distribution of butterflies in Pakistan: A review - Salma Batool and Dr. Mubashar Hussain 23 - 8 - 2016 retrieved 20 - 6 - 2026 Apollos inhabit the high altitude cold areas, with the hypermnestra helios being found in the western deserts of Balochistan. Species like the papilio polyctors, kallima inachus and papilio protenor inhabit the dense jungles in the lower Himalayan subtropical moist forests. The Papilio demoleus can survive in a variety of biomes from dry to wet. The byblia ilithyia and pachliopta hector occur in the southernmost parts of the country in tropical grasslands and shrublands. The pachliopta aristolochiae and byasa dasarada are found in the temperate forests in the Himalayas. The papilio machaon is found throughout the Himalayas.
The following is a list of the butterflies of Pakistan.
Family Papilionidae (Apollo butterflies and swallowtails) Subfamily: Parnassiinae (Apollo butterflies)
Hypermnestra helios (desert Apollo) Parnassius acco (varnished Apollo) Parnassius actius (pale keeled Apollo) Parnassius jacquemontii (keeled Apollo) Parnassius tianschanica (large keeled Apollo) Parnassius boedromius Parnassius charltonius (regal Apollo) Parnassius delphius (kafir banded Apollo) Parnassius epaphus (common red Apollo) Parnassius hardwickii (common blue Apollo) Parnassius inopinatus Parnassius loxias Parnassius simo (black-edged Apollo) Parnassius staudingeri (Karakoram banded Apollo) Parnassius stenosemus (Pir Panjal banded Apollo) Parnassius stoliczkanus (Ladak banded Apollo) Parnassius cardinalis (Astor banded Apollo)
Subfamily: Papilioninae (swallowtails, peacocks and mimes)
Papilio agestor (tawny mime) Papilio clytia or Chilasa clytia (common mime) Graphium cloanthus (glassy bluebottle) Graphium sarpedon (common bluebottle) Graphium doson (common jay) Iphiclides podalirius (scarce swallowtail) Papilio alexanor (Alexanor or southern swallowtail or Baluchi yellow swallowtail) Papilio arcturus (blue peacock) Papilio polyctor (common peacock or Indian peacock) Papilio demoleus (lemon butterfly or lime butterfly) Papilio machaon (common yellow swallowtail) Papilio polytes (common Mormon) Papilio protenor (spangle) Atrophaneura polyeuctes (common windmill) Byasa dasarada (great windmill) Byasa latreillei (rose windmill) Pachliopta aristolochiae (common rose) Pachliopta hector (crimson rose)
Family Pieridae (whites and yellows)
Subfamily: Pierinae (whites) Leptosia nina (Psyche) Baltia shawi (Shaw's dwarf) Baltia butleri (Butler's dwarf or two-spotted dwarf) Euchloe charlonia (lemon white) Euchloe lucilla (pale lemon white) Euchloe belemia (striped white) Euchloe daphalis (pearl white) Pontia chloridice (lesser Bath white) Pontia callidice (lofty Bath white or peak white) Pontia daplidice (Bath white) Pontia glauconome (desert Bath white) Pieris devta (Chitral green-banded white) Pieris ajaka (Himalayan green-veined white or Murree green-veined white) Pieris deota (alpine or Kashmir large white) Pieris canidia (Asian cabbage white) Pieris rapae (small cabbage white) Pieris brassicae (large cabbage white) Aporia leucodice (Himalayan blackvein) Aporia nabellica (dusky blackvein) Delias belladonna (hill Jezebel) Delias sanaca (pale Jezebel) Delias eucharis (common Jezebel) Belenois aurota (pioneer) Cepora nerissa (common gull) Pareronia hippia (Indian wanderer) Appias libythea (western striped albatross)
Subfamily: Coliadinae (yellows) Catopsilia pomona (common emigrant or lemon migrant butterfly) Catopsilia pyranthe (mottled emigrant or white migrant butterfly) Ixias pyrene (yellow orangetip) Ixias marianne (white orangetip) not confirmed Eurema hecabe (common grass yellow) Eurema brigitta (small grass yellow) Eurema laeta (short-bordered or spotless grass yellow) Eurema blanda (three-spot grass yellow) Gonepteryx rhamni (common brimstone) Gonepteryx mahaguru (lesser brimstone) Gonepteryx farinosa (Chitral brimstone) (subspecies G. f. chitralensis) Colias fieldii (dark clouded yellow) Colias erate (pale clouded yellow) Colias marcopolo (Marcopolo's clouded yellow) Colias alpherakii (green clouded yellow) Colias wiskotti (broad-bordered clouded yellow) Colias stoliczkana (orange clouded yellow) Colias cocandica (Pamir clouded yellow) Colias ladakensis (Ladak clouded yellow) Colias eogene (fiery clouded yellow) Colias leechi (glaucous clouded yellow) Colotis amata (small salmon Arab) Colotis protractus (blue-spotted Arab) Colotis vestalis (white Arab) Colotis fausta (large salmon Arab) Colotis liagore (desert orangetip) Colotis etrida (little or small orangetip) Colotis danae (crimsontip or scarlet-tip)
Family Nymphalidae (brush-footed butterflies)
This huge family is represented in Pakistan by following 11 subfamilies: Charaxinae 3 species Apaturinae 5 species Calinaginae 1 species Biblidinae 2 species Nymphalinae 29 species Cyrestinae 1 species Pseudergolis 1 species Limenitidinae 9 species Heliconiinae 16 species Danainae 5 species Libytheinae 2 species Satyrinae 56 species
Subfamily: Charaxinae (leafwings) Polyura athamas (common nawab) Charaxes agrarius (anomalous nawab) Charaxes solon (black rajah)
Subfamily: Apaturinae (emperors and allies) Apatura ambica (Indian purple emperor) Hestina nicevillei (scarce siren) Sephisa dichroa (western courtier) Limenitis lepechini (Chitral white admiral) Limenitis trivena (Indian white admiral)
Subfamily: Calinaginae (freaks) Calinaga buddha (freak)
Subfamily: Biblidinae (castors etc.) Ariadne merione (common castor) Byblia ilithyia (joker)
Subfamily: Nymphalinae (nymphs, fritillaries, pansies, eggflies, etc.) Junonia hierta (yellow pansy) Junonia orithya (blue pansy) Junonia almana (peacock pansy) Junonia lemonias (lemon pansy) Junonia iphita (chocolate pansy or chocolate soldier) Junonia atlites (grey pansy) Vanessa indica (Indian red admiral) Vanessa atalanta (red admiral) Vanessa cardui (painted lady) Kaniska canace (blue admiral) Polygonia egea (eastern comma) Polygonia c-album (comma) Nymphalis vaualbum (false comma or comma tortoiseshell) Nymphalis xanthomelas (large tortoiseshell or scarce tortoiseshell or yellow-legged tortoiseshell) Nymphalis polychloros (blackleg large tortoiseshell) Aglais caschmirensis (Indian tortoiseshell) Aglais rizana (mountain tortoiseshell) Hypolimnas misippus (Danaid eggfly) Hypolimnas bolina (great eggfly) Kallima inachus (orange oakleaf) Melitaea shandura (Shandur fritillary) Melitaea persea, M. p. dodgsoni (Persian fritillary or desert fritillary) Melitaea lutko (Balochi fritillary) Melitaea trivia, M. t. robertsi (lesser spotted fritillary) Melitaea didyma, M. d. mixta mixta (spotted fritillary or red-band fritillary or fiery fritillary) Melitaea chitralensis (Chitral redband fritillary) Melitaea minerva (Pamir fritillary) Melitaea arcesia, M. s. balbita (blackvein fritillary) Melitaea ala or Melitaea pseudoala
Subfamily: Cyrestinae (maps) Cyrestis thyodamas (common map butterfly)
Subfamily: Pseudergolis (tabbies) Pseudergolis wedah (tabby)
Subfamily: Limenitidinae (sergeants, sailers, barons, etc.) Auzakia danava (commodore) Limenitis trivena (Indian white admiral) Limenitis lepechini (Chitral white admiral) Athyma opalina (hill sergeant or Himalayan sergeant) Neptis sappho (Pallas's sailer or common glider) Neptis clinia (clear sailer or southern sullied sailer) Neptis mahendra (Himalayan sailer) Neptis zaida (pale-green sailer) Pantoporia hordonia (common lascar) Neptis soma (sullied sailer) Neptis nata (clear sailer) Euthalia aconthea (common baron) Euthalia patala (grand duchess)
Subfamily: Heliconiinae (heliconians or longwings) Phalanta phalanta (common leopard) Acraea violae (tawny coster or Indian acraea) synonym: Telchinia violae Acraea issoria (yellow coaster) Vagrans egista (vagrant) Issoria lathonia (Queen of Spain fritillary) Issoria isaea (Himalayan queen fritillary) Argynnis hyperbius (tropical or Indian fritillary) Argynnis pandora pasargades (cardinal or western silverstripe) Argynnis childreni (large silverstripe or Himalayan fritillary) Speyeria aglaja (dark green fritillary) Fabriciana jainadeva Fabriciana kamala (common silverstripe) Fabriciana argyrospilata (Afghan fritillary) Clossiana jerdoni (Jerdon's silverspot) Clossiana hegemone (whitespot (false) fritillary) Boloria pales (straightwing silverspot or shephard`s fritillary)
Subfamily: Danainae (milkweed butterflies) Tirumala limniace (blue tiger) Danaus genutia (common or striped tiger or Indian monarch) Danaus chrysippus (plain tiger) Parantica sita (chestnut tiger) Euploea core (common crow) Euploea mulciber (striped blue crow) Subfamily: Libytheinae (beaks) Libythea celtis (common beak) Libythea celtis (European beak or nettle tree butterfly)
Subfamily: Satyrinae (browns) Lethe verma (straight-banded tree brown) Lethe rohria (common tree brown) Lethe confusa (banded tree brown) Lasiommata schakra (common wall) Lasiommata maerula (Kashmir wall or scarce wall) Lasiommata ananda (Chitral wall) Lasiommata menava (dark wall) Kirinia eversmanni (yellow wall) Hyponephele pulchra (dusky meadow brown or beautiful meadow brown) Hyponephele pulchella (tawny meadow brown) Hyponephele carbonelli (Baltistan meadowbrown) Hyponephele narica (tawny branded meadow brown) Hyponephele lupina (Branded meadow brown or Oriental meadow brown) Hyponephele davendra (white-ringed meadow brown) Hyponephele tenuistigma (lesser white-ringed meadow brown) Maniola mandane (oval spot meadow brown) Hyponephele hilaris (Pamir meadow brown) Coenonympha myops subspecies macmahoni (Balochi heath) Hipparchia parisatis (white-edged rock brown) Eumenis thelephassa (Baluchi rock brown) Hipparchia persephone subspecies enervata (dark rock brown) Chazara heydenreichi subspecies shandura (Shandur rock brown) Chazara enervata Pseudochazara mniszechii subspecies gilgitica (tawny rock brown) synonym: Eumenis baldiva Pseudochazara annieae (Annie's rockbrown) Satyrus pimpla (dark or black satyr) Karanasa bolorica (Turkestan satyr) Karanasa leechi subspecies hunza (Leech's satyr) Karanasa digna (Chitrali satyr) synonym: Kanetisa digna Karanasa pupilata (Chitral satyr) Karanasa modesta (modest satyr) Karanasa astorica (Astor satyr) Karanasa huebneri (tawny satyr) Karanasa safeda (Safed Koh satyr) Karanasa cadesia (Moore's satyr) Hipparchia moorei (Turkestan satyr or Shandur satyr) Aulocera padma (great satyr) Aulocera swaha (common satyr) Aulocera saraswati (striated satyr) Callerebia nirmala (common argus) Callerebia annada (ringed argus) Callerebia scanda subspecies caeca (ringed argus) Callerebia kalinda (scarce mountain argus) Callerebia shallada (mountain argus) Paralasa mani (yellow argus) synonym: Erebia mani Ypthima inica (lesser threering) Ypthima nareda (large threering) Ypthima asterope (common threering or African ringlet) Ypthima huebneri (common fourring) Ypthima bolanica (desert fourring) Ypthima lisandra (jewel fourring) or Ypthima avanta Ypthima baldus (common fivering) Ypthima nikaea (Moore's fivering or West Himalayan five-ring) formerly Ypthima sakra (Himalayan fivering) Melanitis leda (common evening brown)