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Butterflies of Cyprus by Eddie John F.R.E.S.

A Guide to the Butterflies of Cyprus

and Butterfly Recording Scheme

In association with Christodoulos Makris & Rob Parker

This page provides a checklist of butterfly species found in Cyprus, grouped according to family.
Supplementary pages (3.1 to 3.8) discuss individual species under the following family listings:

Butterflies of Cyprus -
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There are eight primary pages, some of which ( Page 3 et seq. for example ) lead to supplementary pages - see column left for links to these pages.

�The island�s positioning close to Turkey (70 km to the north), with Syria and Lebanon slightly further to the east, encourages a butterfly population that exceeds in number those found in the islands of Crete and Rhodes (Olivier 1993). Furthermore, the list of species includes several endemics and its proximity to the Eremic Zone accounts for the presence of Apharitis acamas, described as an Afro-eremial species (Larsen 1974).�

�Despite its relatively small size (240 x 95 km), Cyprus has a varied landscape and is an island of extreme contrasts.
To the west and north the country is dominated by mountain ranges between which the Mesaoria (central) Plain forms the agricultural heartland, barely rising above 200 m over most of its expanse.....�

Extracts from a chapter by Eddie John published in:
van Swaay, C. A. M. and Warren, M. S. 2003. �Prime Butterfly Areas in Europe�. National Reference Centre for Agriculture, Nature and Fisheries, The Netherlands.

�Cyprus presents a considerable challenge to the newcomer attempting to identify its butterfly species. The island�s location on the fringes of Asia means that it is largely overlooked in the familiar European butterfly books to the extent that one of the UK�s most widely used reference books, �Butterflies of Britain & Europe� by Tolman & Lewington (1997), scarcely refers to Cyprus and mentions none of the endemic species. Consequently, while many of the island�s butterflies are recognisable because of their presence in the UK or in other areas of the Mediterranean, it can be frustratingly difficult to find reliable, authoritative information to assist with identification of the less familiar species. Cyprus�s proximity to Middle East and African countries tantalises with the ever-present thought that some of the more exotic species may make brief appearances. And, indeed, they sometimes do!�

John, E. & Parker, R. 2003. The Butterfly Year in Cyprus. Sanctuary � The Ministry of Defence�s Conservation Magazine. No. 32, 14-18.

- Proposes an Invertebrate Collecting Code and advises of the new Environment Service�s requirement to be in possession of a PERMIT to allow the study and collection of invertebrates in Cyprus.