Lists of Lepidoptera by region
# Lists of Lepidoptera by region

The following are the regional Lepidoptera lists by continent. Lepidoptera is the insect order consisting of both the butterflies and moths.

Lepidoptera are among the most successful groups of insects. They are found on all continents, except Antarctica. Lepidoptera inhabit all terrestrial habitats ranging from desert to rainforest, from lowland grasslands to montane plateaus but almost always associated with higher plants, especially angiosperms (flowering plants). Among the most northern dwelling species of butterflies and moths is the Arctic Apollo (Parnassius arcticus), which is found in the Arctic Circle in northeastern Yakutia, at an altitude of 1500 meters above sea level. In the Himalayas, various Apollo species such as Parnassius epaphus, have been recorded to occur up to an altitude of 6,000 meters above sea $level.^{:221}$

Some lepidopteran species exhibit symbiotic, phoretic, or parasitic life-styles, inhabiting the bodies of organisms rather than the environment. Coprophagous pyralid moth species, called sloth moths, such as Bradipodicola hahneli and Cryptoses choloepi, are unusual in that they are exclusively found inhabiting the fur of sloths, mammals found in Central and South America. Two species of Tinea moths have been recorded as feeding on horny tissue and have been bred from the horns of cattle. The larva of Zenodochium coccivorella is an internal parasite of the coccid Kermes species. Many species have been recorded as breeding in natural materials or refuse such as owl pellets, bat caves, honey-combs or diseased fruit.

Of the approximately 174,250 lepidopteran species described until 2007, butterflies and skippers are estimated to comprise approximately 17,950, with moths making up the rest. The vast majority of Lepidoptera are to be found in the tropics, but substantial diversity exists on most continents. North America has over 700 species of butterflies and over 11,000 species of moths, while there are about 400 species of butterflies and 14,000 species of moths reported from Australia. The diversity of Lepidoptera in each faunal region has been estimated by John Heppner in 1991 based partly on actual counts from the literature, partly on the card indices in the Natural History Museum (London) and the National Museum of Natural History (Washington), and partly on $estimates:^{:726}$

Diversity of Lepidoptera in each faunal region :

| | Palearctic | Nearctic | Neotropic | Afrotropic | Indo-Australian (comprising Indomalayan and Australasian realms) |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Estimated number of species | 22,465 | 11,532 | 44,791 | 20,491 | 47,286 |

## Species by continent

### Africa

| Country or territory | Moths | Butterflies |
| - | - | - |
| Algeria | Moths | Butterflies |
| Angola | Moths | Butterflies |
| Benin | Moths | Butterflies |
| Botswana | Moths | Butterflies |
| Burkina Faso | Moths | Butterflies |
| Burundi | Moths | Butterflies |
| Cameroon | Moths | Butterflies |
| Canary Islands (Autonomous community of Spain) | Moths | Butterflies |
| Cape Verde | Moths | Butterflies |
| Central African Republic | Moths | Butterflies |
| Chad | Moths | Butterflies |
| Comoros | Moths | Butterflies |
| Congo, Democratic Republic of (Congo-Kinshasa) | Moths | Butterflies |
| Congo, Republic of (Congo-Brazzaville) | Moths | Butterflies |
| Djibouti | Moths | Butterflies |
| Egypt | Moths | Butterflies |
| Equatorial Guinea | Moths | Butterflies |
| Eritrea | Moths | Butterflies |
| Ethiopia | Moths | Butterflies |
| Gabon | Moths | Butterflies |
| Gambia | Moths | Butterflies |
| Ghana | Moths | Butterflies |
| Guinea | Moths | Butterflies |
| Guinea-Bissau | Moths | Butterflies |
| Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire) | Moths | Butterflies |
| Kenya | Moths | Butterflies |
| Lesotho | Moths | Butterflies |
| Liberia | Moths | Butterflies |
| Libya | Moths | Butterflies |
| Madagascar | Moths | Butterflies |
| Malawi | Moths | Butterflies |
| Mali | Moths | Butterflies |
| Mauritania | Moths | Butterflies |
| Mauritius | Moths | Butterflies |
| Mayotte (Overseas territory of France) | Moths | Butterflies |
| Morocco | Moths | Butterflies |
| Mozambique | Moths | Butterflies |
| Namibia | Moths | Butterflies |
| Niger | Moths | Butterflies |
| Nigeria | Moths | Butterflies |
| Réunion (Overseas department of France) | Moths | Butterflies |
| Rwanda | Moths | Butterflies |
| Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha (Overseas territory of the United Kingdom) | Moths | Butterflies |
| Sao Tome and Principe | Moths | Butterflies |
| Selvagens Islands (Part of the parish of Sé of Portugal) | Moths | Butterflies |
| Senegal | Moths | Butterflies |
| Seychelles | Moths | Butterflies |
| Sierra Leone | Moths | Butterflies |
| Somalia | Moths | Butterflies |
| South Africa | Moths | Butterflies |
| Sudan | Moths | Butterflies |
| Swaziland | Moths | Butterflies |
| Tanzania | Moths | Butterflies |
| Togo | Moths | Butterflies |
| Tunisia | Moths | Butterflies |
| Uganda | Moths | Butterflies |
| Zambia | Moths | Butterflies |
| Zimbabwe | Moths | Butterflies |

### Asia

| Country or territory | Moths | Butterflies |
| - | - | - |
| Abkhazia | Moths | Butterflies |
| Afghanistan | Moths | Butterflies |
| Akrotiri and Dhekelia (Overseas territory of the United Kingdom located on Cyprus) | Moths | Butterflies |
| Armenia | Moths | Butterflies |
| Azerbaijan | Moths | Butterflies |
| Bahrain | Moths | Butterflies |
| Bangladesh | Moths | Butterflies |
| Bhutan | Moths | Butterflies |
| British Indian Ocean Territory (Overseas territory of the United Kingdom) | Moths | Butterflies |
| Brunei | Moths | Butterflies |
| Cambodia | Moths | Butterflies |
| China | Moths | Butterflies |
| Christmas Island (External territory of Australia) | Moths | Butterflies |
| Cocos (Keeling) Islands (External territory of Australia) | Moths | Butterflies |
| Cyprus | Moths | Butterflies |
| Georgia | Moths | Butterflies |
| India | Moths | Butterflies Butterflies of the Western Ghats |
| Indonesia | Moths | Butterflies Butterflies of Sulawesi |
| Iran | Moths | Butterflies |
| Iraq | Moths | Butterflies |
| Israel | Moths | Butterflies |
| Japan | Moths | Butterflies |
| Jordan | Moths | Butterflies |
| Kazakhstan | Moths | Butterflies |
| Korea, Democratic People's Republic of (North Korea) | Moths | Butterflies |
| Korea, Republic of (South Korea) | Moths | Butterflies |
| Kuwait | Moths | Butterflies |
| Kyrgyzstan | Moths | Butterflies |
| Laos | Moths | Butterflies |
| Lebanon | Moths | Butterflies |
| Malaysia | Moths | Butterflies Butterflies of Peninsular Malaysia |
| Maldives | Moths | Butterflies |
| Mongolia | Moths | Butterflies |
| Myanmar (Burma) | Moths | Butterflies |
| Nepal | Moths | Butterflies |
| Oman | Moths | Butterflies |
| Pakistan | Moths | Butterflies |
| Palestinian territories | Moths | Butterflies |
| Philippines | Moths | Butterflies |
| Qatar | Moths | Butterflies |
| Saudi Arabia | Moths | Butterflies |
| Singapore | Moths | Butterflies |
| Sri Lanka | Moths | Butterflies |
| Syria | Moths | Butterflies |
| Taiwan | Moths | Butterflies |
| Tajikistan | Moths | Butterflies |
| Thailand | Moths | Butterflies |
| Timor-Leste (East Timor) | Moths | Butterflies |
| Turkey | Moths | Butterflies |
| Turkmenistan | Moths | Butterflies |
| United Arab Emirates | Moths | Butterflies |
| Uzbekistan | Moths | Butterflies |
| Vietnam | Moths | Butterflies |
| Yemen | Moths | Butterflies |

* ↑ The British Indian Ocean Territory is sometimes considered as an African territory, since it was historically part of Mauritius.
* 1 2 Christmas Island and Cocos (Keeling) Islands are sometimes considered as Oceanian territories, since they are dependent territories of Australia.

### Europe

| Country or territory | Moths | Butterflies |
| - | - | - |
| Albania | Moths | Butterflies |
| Andorra | Moths | Butterflies |
| Austria | Moths | Butterflies |
| Azores | Moths | Butterflies |
| Belarus | Moths | Butterflies |
| Belgium | Moths | Butterflies |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Moths | Butterflies |
| Bulgaria | Moths | Butterflies |
| Croatia | Moths | Butterflies |
| Czech Republic | Moths | Butterflies |
| Denmark | Moths | Butterflies |
| Estonia | Moths | Butterflies |
| Faroe Islands | Moths | Butterflies |
| Finland | Moths | Butterflies |
| France | Moths | Butterflies |
| Germany | Moths | Butterflies |
| Greece | Moths | Butterflies |
| Hungary | Moths | Butterflies |
| Iceland | Moths | Butterflies |
| Ireland | Moths | Butterflies |
| Italy | Moths | Butterflies |
| Latvia | Moths | Butterflies |
| Liechtenstein | Moths | Butterflies |
| Lithuania | Moths | Butterflies |
| Luxembourg | Moths | Butterflies |
| Macedonia | Moths | Butterflies |
| Madeira | Moths | Butterflies |
| Malta | Moths | Butterflies |
| Moldova | Moths | Butterflies |
| Montenegro | Moths | Butterflies |
| Netherlands | Moths | Butterflies |
| Norway | Moths | Butterflies |
| Poland | Moths | Butterflies |
| Portugal | Moths | Butterflies |
| Romania | Moths | Butterflies |
| Russia | Moths | Butterflies Butterflies of Saint Petersburg and Leningrad Oblast |
| Serbia | Moths | Butterflies |
| Slovakia | Moths | Butterflies |
| Slovenia | Moths | Butterflies |
| Spain | Moths | Butterflies Butterflies of Minorca |
| Sweden | Moths | Butterflies |
| Switzerland | Moths | Butterflies |
| Ukraine | Moths | Butterflies |
| United Kingdom | Moths | Butterflies |

* 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 The following countries and territories are also often considered as European:  Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cyprus, Georgia, and Turkey, classified as Asian countries by the United Nations Statistics Division, are also often considered as European countries, since their territories are either partly in Europe or in the vicinity of Europe (for the geographical boundaries between Asia and Europe, see here), and they have close political and historical ties with Europe (e.g., they are members of the Council of Europe).  Abkhazia, Nagorno-Karabakh, Northern Cyprus, and South Ossetia, all sovereign states lacking general international recognition, are also often considered as European countries.  Akrotiri and Dhekelia is also often considered as a European territory.
* ↑ Russia is generally considered as a European country more than an Asian country, even though most of its territory is in Asia, since most of its population and also its capital are in Europe, and it has close political and historical ties with Europe.

### North America

| Country or territory | Moths | Butterflies |
| - | - | - |
| Anguilla | Moths | Butterflies |
| Antigua and Barbuda | Moths | Butterflies |
| Aruba (Constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands) | Moths | Butterflies |
| Bahamas | Moths | Butterflies |
| Barbados | Moths | Butterflies |
| Belize | Moths | Butterflies |
| Bermuda (Overseas territory of the United Kingdom) | Moths | Butterflies |
| Bonaire (Special municipality of the Netherlands) | Moths | Butterflies |
| British Virgin Islands (Overseas territory of the United Kingdom) | Moths | Butterflies |
| Canada | Moths | Butterflies |
| Cayman Islands (Overseas territory of the United Kingdom) | Moths | Butterflies |
| Clipperton Island (Overseas territory of France) | Moths | Butterflies |
| Costa Rica | Moths | Butterflies |
| Cuba | Moths | Butterflies |
| Curaçao (Constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands) | Moths | Butterflies |
| Dominica | Moths | Butterflies |
| Dominican Republic | Moths | Butterflies |
| El Salvador | Moths | Butterflies |
| Greenland (Self-governing territory of Denmark) | Moths | Butterflies |
| Grenada | Moths | Butterflies |
| Guadeloupe (Overseas department of France) | Moths | Butterflies |
| Guatemala | Moths | Butterflies |
| Haiti | Moths | Butterflies |
| Honduras | Moths | Butterflies |
| Jamaica | Moths | Butterflies |
| Martinique (Overseas department of France) | Moths | Butterflies |
| Mexico | Moths | Butterflies |
| Montserrat (Overseas territory of the United Kingdom) | Moths | Butterflies |
| Navassa Island (Insular area of the United States of America) | Moths | Butterflies |
| Nicaragua | Moths | Butterflies |
| Panama | Moths | Butterflies |
| Puerto Rico (Insular area of the United States of America) | Moths | Butterflies |
| Saba (Special municipality of the Netherlands) | Moths | Butterflies |
| Saint Barthélemy (Overseas collectivity of France) | Moths | Butterflies |
| Saint Eustatius (Special municipality of the Netherlands) | Moths | Butterflies |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | Moths | Butterflies |
| Saint Lucia | Moths | Butterflies |
| Saint Martin (Overseas collectivity of France) | Moths | Butterflies |
| Saint Pierre and Miquelon (Overseas collectivity of France) | Moths | Butterflies |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Moths | Butterflies |
| Sint Maarten (Constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands) | Moths | Butterflies |
| Trinidad and Tobago | Moths | Butterflies Butterflies of Tobago |
| Turks and Caicos Islands (Overseas territory of the United Kingdom) | Moths | Butterflies |
| United States of America | Moths | Butterflies |
| United States Virgin Islands (Insular area of the United States of America) | Moths | Butterflies |

### South America

| Country or territory | Moths | Butterflies |
| - | - | - |
| Argentina | Moths | Butterflies |
| Bolivia | Moths | Butterflies |
| Brazil | Moths | Butterflies |
| Chile | Moths | Butterflies |
| Colombia | Moths | Butterflies |
| Ecuador | Moths | Butterflies |
| Falkland Islands (Overseas territory of the United Kingdom) | Moths | Butterflies |
| French Guiana (Overseas department of France) | Moths | Butterflies |
| Guyana | Moths | Butterflies |
| Paraguay | Moths | Butterflies |
| Peru | Moths | Butterflies |
| Suriname | Moths | Butterflies |
| Uruguay | Moths | Butterflies |
| Venezuela | Moths | Butterflies |

### Oceania

| Flag | Country or territory | Moths | Butterflies |
| - | - | - | - |
| | American Samoa (Insular area of the United States of America) | Moths | Butterflies |
| | Ashmore and Cartier Islands (External territory of Australia) | Moths | Butterflies |
| | Australia | Moths | Butterflies Butterflies of Tasmania Butterflies of Victoria Butterflies of Lord Howe Island |
| | Baker Island (Insular area of the United States of America) | Moths | Butterflies |
| | Cook Islands (Territory in free association with New Zealand) | Moths | Butterflies |
| | Coral Sea Islands (External territory of Australia) | Moths | Butterflies |
| | Easter Island (Special Territory of Chile) | Moths | Butterflies |
| | Fiji | Moths | Butterflies |
| | French Polynesia (Overseas collectivity of France) | Moths | Butterflies |
| | Guam (Insular area of the United States of America) | Moths | Butterflies |
| | Hawaii (State of the United States of America) | Moths | Butterflies |
| | Howland Island (Insular area of the United States of America) | Moths | Butterflies |
| | Jarvis Island (Insular area of the United States of America) | Moths | Butterflies |
| | Johnston Atoll (Insular area of the United States of America) | Moths | Butterflies |
| | Kingman Reef (Insular area of the United States of America) | Moths | Butterflies |
| | Kiribati | Moths | Butterflies |
| | Marshall Islands | Moths | Butterflies |
| | Micronesia | Moths | Butterflies |
| | Midway Atoll (Insular area of the United States of America) | Moths | Butterflies |
| | Nauru | Moths | Butterflies |
| or | New Caledonia (Sui generis collectivity or special collectivity of France) | Moths | Butterflies |
| | New Zealand | Moths | Butterflies |
| | Niue (Territory in free association with New Zealand) | Moths | Butterflies |
| | Norfolk Island (Self-governing territory of Australia) | Moths | Butterflies |
| | Northern Mariana Islands (Insular area of the United States of America) | Moths | Butterflies |
| | Palau | Moths | Butterflies |
| | Palmyra Atoll (Insular area of the United States of America) | Moths | Butterflies |
| | Papua New Guinea | Moths | Butterflies |
| | Pitcairn Islands (Overseas territory of the United Kingdom) | Moths | Butterflies |
| | Samoa | Moths | Butterflies |
| | Solomon Islands | Moths | Butterflies |
| | Tokelau (Dependent territory of New Zealand) | Moths | Butterflies |
| | Tonga | Moths | Butterflies |
| | Tuvalu | Moths | Butterflies |
| | Vanuatu | Moths | Butterflies |
| | Wake Island (Insular area of the United States of America) | Moths | Butterflies |
| | Wallis and Futuna (Overseas collectivity of France) | Moths | Butterflies |

### Antarctica

No Lepidoptera species are known from the continent of Antarctica. However, there are records from nearby islands.

| Flag | Country or territory | Moths | Butterflies |
| - | - | - | - |
| | French Southern and Antarctic Lands (Overseas territory of France) | Moths | Butterflies |
